Futureal
by dudelove85
Summary: The Time Force Rangers find out the hard way that it isn't just mutants that are dangerous. An innocuous 21st Century illness does something that Ransik has failed to do and leaves Wes racing against time to save his friends lives. Part of the Project Hexagon series.
1. I'm Running Out Of My Time

_Chapter 1 – I'm Running Out Of My Time_

 _August 9 2001 – The Clock Tower, Silver Hills_

Until a few months ago, the city of Silver Hills in Washington state was largely unknown to majority of Americans. On the outskirts of the city was the headquarters of medical manufacturers BioLab. Owned by the billionaire Albert Collins, the presence of the conglomerate meant that the majority of residents were also extremely wealthy. However the pleasant calm of Silver Hills had been shattered over the last few months as the city had become the latest location to play host to a team of Power Rangers.

Unknown to the wealthy residents of Silver Hills, their protectors wouldn't be born for almost a thousand years. Two thirds of the Time Force Rangers were from the year 3000 and had travelled to the twenty first century on an unauthorised mission to capture the mutant known as Ransik. The Time Force Officers consisted of the work focused Lieutenant Jennifer 'Jen' Scotts and Cadets Lucas Kendall, Katie Walker and the Xybrian Trip Regis. It was their mission to capture Ransik and capture any prisoners released from a stolen prison ship.

They needed help and it came in the shape of Wesley 'Wes' Collins, son of the owner of BioLab. After earning the red morpher, he found the Officers a home in the old Clock Tower in the center of the city. A couple of weeks later he moved in permanently with the others after a falling out with his father. The team worked well together but there was a small problem in the shape of Eric Myers, also known as the Quantum Ranger. Technically he was the sixth member of their team, however, he was an extreme difficult person to get along with. Their relationship was slowly warming up but Eric still preferred to work solo.

Living in such close quarters, especially in an open plan Clock Tower, created problems but most arguments were usually settled pretty quickly. A running source of entertainment for Lucas, Katie and Trip was the constant flirting between the red and pink rangers. The trio had a bet going for when Wes and Jen would finally kiss each other.

Romance was the furthest thing from Wes' mind when he woke up that morning. His head was pounding, his nose was blocked and his throat felt like his had swallowed a box of razor blades. He got up slowly from his mattress and coughed deeply and loudly. He climbed down the ladder and into the main living area, heading towards the kitchen. The red ranger smiled weakly at Trip and Katie who were studying some footage from a previous fight.

He rooted through the cupboards and found a jar of honey, left over from the first, and last time, that Jen attempted to cook. He smiled briefly at the memory before pouring some into a mug. He began to boil the kettle and turned his attention back to the cupboard, "Guys do have any aspirin?" he croaked out.

"There should be some in the drawer", Katie replied, "everything alright Wes?"

"Yeah I think I've caught a cold from somewhere", Wes said and popped open the aspirin, "I'll be fine after a few of these".

The yellow and green rangers looked at each other in confusion, "How do you catch cold?" Trip asked.

Wes looked at the pair, "Not cold as in temperature. I have a cold, it means I'm sick with a virus", Katie and Trip still looked confused, "you future people are weird", he shook his head and laughed weakly. Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Lucas and Jen in the Tower. They were both dressed in workout gear, "Hey you two have heard of the common cold right?" Wes asked them.

"Is that the excuse you're using for avoiding training this morning", Jen raised an eyebrow and brushed past him to get a drink.

"I'm genuinely sick", to empathise his point, Wes broke out into a coughing fit.

"I assumed that this cold you have causes you to overact dramatically", Lucas laughed.

"Have none of you ever heard of a cold?" the rangers from the future shook their heads, "does no one get sick in the future or something".

Jen shrugged, "Not really, hygiene has greatly improved in the last millennium. The majority of buildings in major cities are protected against bacteria".

"Sounds like a blast", Wes began, "med school must boring in the thirty first century".

"We still need doctors but just not for illnesses", Trip answered in a cheerful manner.

Lucas glared towards the green ranger, "He was joking Trip", the Xybrian blushed and glanced towards the ground.

"Well clearly Wes is in no fit shape to have pancakes this morning", Jen smirked and tapped the red ranger on the cheek, "maybe he should go straight back to bed". Wes was about to open his mouth but Jen stopped him, "And no I'm not tucking you in".

"He'd really enjoy that", Lucas snorted under his breath. Katie and Trip sniggered but a sharp look from the pink ranger soon silenced them.

"Thanks for the concern, even if it wasn't that heartfelt", Wes glanced in Jen's direction, "but I just need some painkillers and some water and I'll be good to go".

"That's great to hear Wes", a blue robotic owl flew into the room and buzzed around their heads, "because I've detected some Cyclobot activity downtown".

"Thanks Circuit", Jen said, "come on sicky", she added with a smiled towards Wes.

"Hey Wes", Circuit called out, "be careful around them". The red ranger frowned at Circuit's words but nodded in acknowledgement. He hurried down the stairs of the Clock Tower as fast as he could to catch up with the others.

 _Silver Hills Industrial District_

The rangers tracked the Cyclobots down to metal treatment plant in the industrial district. The robots had scared away most of the workers and were busy stealing scraps of metal out of the plant. When the rangers arrived on their Vector Cycles they could see one of Ransik's minions, the robot Frax, hustling the Cyclobots away with their haul, "Hey stop right there", Jen called out. The robots turned in the direction of the pink ranger and immediately dropped what they were carrying and began to run away.

"What would they want with all this metal?" Wes asked the team as he dodged the blade of a Cyclobot.

"No idea", Katie replied, "who knows what goes on inside that robotic lunatics head". On catching sight of the rangers, the robot in question immediately began to flee.

Lucas and Trip began to give chase but Jen stopped them, "No, let him go", she said, "who knows what damage the Cyclobots could cause if we let them run riot here". Jen set to work by kicking the closest robot to her in the stomach. A strong blow the back of the head sent it tumbling to the ground, it's circuits completely scrambled. "Chrono Blaster", the pink ranger called out and a weapon appeared in her hand. Firing on the run, Jen quickly eliminated several more robotic menaces in quick succession.

After following their team leader's orders, the blue and green rangers turned back towards the main battle. Lucas grabbed an iron bar that one of the Cyclobots had dropped and swung it towards the nearest assailant. The blow took the head clean off the Cyclobot and it rolled cross the ground. The head stopped at the feet of Trip who kicked it into the chest of the robot nearest to him. It smashed through the Cyclobot's chest compartment and it crumpled to the ground, "Nicely done", the blue ranger tapped his team mate on the shoulder.

The red and yellow rangers were nearby the loading area to the plant. Surrounding the pair were several wooden crates and a dozen Cyclobots. Wes' illness was making him feel a little sluggish but the energy burst he got after morphing was compensating for this, "How you doing over there Wes?" Katie called out.

The red ranger had his Chrono Sabers in hand and sliced one of the robots clean in half, "Surviving", he replied before burying one of his blades in the chest of another Cyclobot.

Katie blasted a robot into pieces with her weapon, showering the area with small metal fragments, "Don't go slacking on me will you", she cheekily replied. She was caught off guard when a robot smashed her around the head with its weapon. The yellow ranger groaned in pain and stumbled away, "That wasn't called for", she quickly turned around and blasted a hole in its chest with her Chrono Blaster.

The yellow ranger staggered around for a moment, shaking her head a couple of times, "Katie, talk to me", Wes shouted in her direction.

"Must've been a strong blow", she replied, "my head's spinning". She crouched forward slightly and coughed a couple of times.

Seeing that his team mate was in trouble, Wes quickly charged up his Chrono Sabers, "Time Strike", he called and a wave of energy swiftly dismantled the rest of the Cyclobots. He glanced over in Katie's direction and she had slumped to the floor, "Hey, Katie how you feeling?" he knelt down next to the yellow ranger.

"Like I've been run over by a train", her voice was scratchy, almost like she had gone without water for several days.

"Concussions can do that to you", Wes replied.

Katie gently shook her head, "No, this feels like something else". Her body began to pulse with energy and she demorphed. Her skin was damp with sweat, her eyelids were dropping and she was struggling to focus on Wes.

"Alright let's move you to a safe place", Wes gently lifted Katie to her feet and walked her to a sheltered spot. Wes turned his attention to the others and it was then that he noticed Jen and Lucas kneeling over something on the ground. A sense of dread washed over him when he couldn't find Trip. He slowly walked Katie over to the pair but she was struggling to put one foot in front of another.

"Wes, what happened to Katie?" Jen asked.

The red ranger was about to reply but he noticed that Jen was breathing heavily. She was looking extremely pale and like Katie, she was covered in sweat, "A Cyclobot bashed her over the head", he replied. He looked down and Trip was lying semi conscious on the floor, "Did Trip get hit as well?"

Lucas shook his head, "He just collapsed and demorphed", the blue ranger began, "there was no one near him, I've never seen anything like it".

Wes nodded in acknowledgement and placed Katie on the ground next to Trip. He turned his attention back to Jen and it suddenly dawned on him that all three were suffering with the same symptoms, "You don't look so good Jen", he stated.

"You're a real charmer Wes", she answered with a weak smile. The smiled slowly faded from her face as she began to sway on the spot. Moments later Jen's eyelids closed and she collapsed in a dead faint. Wes moved quickly and was able to catch her before she hit the ground.

"Jen", Wes shook her gently, "Jen", he added more urgently. He felt her forehead and quickly pulled his arm back, "She's burning up", he muttered to himself. "We need to get them back to the Clock Tower", he called out to Lucas but he didn't get an answer. Wes glanced up and noticed that Lucas too was falling victim to this mystery illness. The blue ranger rocked on his heels and slowly dropped into a crouched position before slumping over heavily.

Wes looked around and all four of his team mates were now unconscious. He checked their vital signs and they were all breathing shallowly and had extremely high temperature. He needed some assistance for them and quickly, "Circuit, I need some help", he said into his morpher.

"What's up Wes", came the reply from the robotic owl.

"The others have been struck down by some mystery illness, I need to get them back to the Clock Tower quickly".

"It's already happened", Circuit chirped sadly.

"Circuit can you focus for a moment", Wes snapped.

"Sorry Wes", Circuit began, "I'll need a few moments to initiate the teleportation function".

"We can teleport?" Wes asked, "then why do we need the bikes?"

"It's still largely untested, Time Force are still working on the technology", Circuit replied.

"Uh, I guess Star Trek isn't a good indicator of the future after all", Wes tried to joke but his heart wasn't in it. The majority of his team had been rendered unconscious by some kind of virus and he had no idea when they had been infected. He knelt down next to Jen and brushed some of her damp hair away from her face, "Please be alright", he muttered. He felt his body begin to tingle before he and the rest of the rangers were teleported away.

 _ **A/N –**_ _Part three of the Project Hexagon sees us arrive in the Time Force era, my personal favourite PR series so I hope I can do it justice. I certainly don't believe in getting everyone warmed up because we're straight into the action. This takes placed during the "Mark of Venomark" episode and incorporates elements of the following few episodes as well._


	2. I'm Running Out Of Breath

_Chapter 2 – I'm Running Out Of Breath_

 _August 9 2001 – The Clock Tower_

The last few hours had been extremely frustrating for Wes. After arriving back at the Clock Tower, he quickly turned the main living space into a makeshift hospital ward by moving the beds downstairs. All of his team mates were unconscious so he tried to make them as comfortable as they could be. Next he began the difficult job of trying to diagnose what was wrong with them. Wes wasn't used to the medical equipment the Time Force rangers had for two reasons. Trip was their tech expert so he usually handled the computer side of things. The main problem was that the computers in question were from the year 3000 and Wes had no idea how to use them. Jen was always reluctant to let him use any technology from the future than was necessary to complete his role as the red ranger. She insisted that he was to ensure the safety of the time stream rather than a trust issue with Wes.

Wes got a crash course in the medical scanner from Circuit and began the diagnosis program. The owl was being slightly evasive with Wes and he believed that it knew more than it was telling him. Until the program finished all Wes could do was sit and observe everyone, just in case their condition suddenly worsened.

He pulled up a chair and took up a position at Jen's side. He looked at her sleeping form and tentatively grasped her hand. Wes wasn't sure of the exact moment when he fell for the pink ranger. On the surface the pair appeared to be polar opposites, the relaxed and fun loving Wes compared to the serious and focused Jen. The red ranger felt that he had helped the team leader to loosen up a bit. Certainly she was much more relaxed than a few months ago but she still retained that passion that Wes loved.

It wasn't just Jen who Wes was concerned for though, he had grown close to all of the other rangers. They had become almost like family to him, certainly he felt closer to them than he did to his own father. Sadly for Wes there was an elephant in the room and it was the fact that once Ransik had been captured, his 'family' would return to their own time. It took a lot of effort for Wes to put that to the back of his mind.

Wes was pulled from his thoughts by a buzzing from the medical scanner. He left his seat and checked the scanner, "Nasopharyngitis", he muttered, "extinct virus see archives, what on earth does this mean?"

"It's one of the many names for the common cold", Circuit announced, "it's probably the same strain that you have".

Wes had almost forgotten about his cold but he was confused, "Wait a second, the four of them have a cold", Circuit blink in response, "and they ribbed me about getting sick".

"I don't think you understand how serious this is for them", Circuit began, "the cold was finally eliminated around two hundred years from now. In your time, people gradually build up immunity to basic viruses like the common cold over their lifetime. In the year 3000, there hasn't been a reported case of a cold for nearly eight hundred years".

"So their bodies have never had time to adapt", Wes finished for Circuit, "so how serious is this for them?" Circuit didn't answer immediately which gave Wes cause for concern, "Circuit you need to tell me".

The owl sighed, "Their genetics won't be able to help them fight the virus. As there hasn't been a reported cold or flu outbreak for so long, scientists have stopped offering protection against it".

"Circuit", Wes hissed, "get to the point".

"The honest answer is that I don't know", Circuit replied, "the cold virus itself won't harm them but it could develop quickly into something more serious like pneumonia. They could just need some rest or potentially...", the owls voice tailed off.

"Potentially what?" Wes began, "could they die?" Circuit didn't reply for a few moments but eventually he gave a slow blink. Wes ran his hand through his hair and began to pace, "This is all my fault isn't it, they've caught this virus from me"

"Probably not", Circuit answered, "the incubation period for the virus is around two to three days. It's more than likely that they caught it from the same source that you did".

Wes racked his brain to try and recall if they had come into contact with any showing signs of a cold, "Wait a moment", he began, "that old couple whose house we painted, they both had terrible coughs", he shook his head, "if I had known then I could've kept them away".

"Wes you can't blame yourself", Circuit said, "you couldn't have predicted this. If I'm honest I'm amazed it's taken this long before they contracted anything". Wes looked like he was about to say something but the owl cut in front of his, "Before travelling through time, Officers are usually given temporary boosts to their immune system. As their mission was unauthorised, they didn't get the usual treatments".

"So Time Force could have something to cure them?" Wes asked in hope.

"Possibly but it depends if they've had time to construct a new Time Ship" Circuit replied, "I'll have to brief Captain Logan and see what he suggests". Circuit paused before flapping his wings, "In the meantime, I'm detecting Cyclobot activity in the down town area".

"Twice in one day", Wes sighed, "can't they give us a break". The red ranger glanced at his fallen comrades before heading for the stairs, "Look after them Circuit, I'll try and take care of the robts as quickly as possible". Circuit chirped his acknowledgement and watched the red ranger rush down the stairs.

 _Down Town Silver Hills_

When Wes arrived at the coordinates that Circuit transmitted, he noticed someone had beaten him to the scene. The familiar logo on the side of the silver van told its own story, "Great, the Silver Guardians are here", he muttered. If the Silver Guardians were on the scene then their leader probably wasn't too far away.

Sure enough when Wes looked through the sea of Guardians, he could see the red and black suited form of Eric Meyers, the Quantum Ranger. He really didn't want to get into a verbal sparring match with Eric, not today. A small voice in Wes's head was telling to leave before anyone had seen him but he couldn't be sure that Eric would dispose of the Cyclobots. Eric was an excellent fighter but even the best could be beaten.

Despite Eric's challenging personality, Wes didn't hate the Quantum Ranger. Something told him that there was a good person buried underneath all of that bravado. Perhaps a little too deep for some to try and be friends with the man but with four of his team out of commission, he needed Eric on his side more than ever. Not that he would tell him that, the gloating from Eric would be insufferable. Eric dispatched the last Cyclobot without the need for Wes to morph and the red ranger could hear the Quantum Ranger give the orders for the Guardians to secure the area, "Well here goes nothing", Wes said to himself and stepped through the cordon.

It didn't take Eric long to spot his long time rival approaching, "You're too late as usual", he began, "did the others finally let you out by yourself today", he smirked.

"Leave it out Eric I'm not in the mood for our usual round of banter", Wes snapped in response.

"Shame, it's the highlight of my day", Eric began, "as you can see I'm a busy person so if you don't mind, I've got work to do".

Eric strutted past Wes and it took all of the red ranger's self control not to rise to Eric's bait, "I need your help", he called out.

The Quantum Ranger stopped in his tracks, "So they've finally abandoned you then", he turned around and removed his sunglasses, "can't say I'm too surprised. If you need our assistance then I'm sure you'll find the Silver Guardian's rates very reasonable".

"Eric they're sick, possibly seriously", Wes replied, trying to keep his answers as short as possible.

For a few moments Eric didn't reply, leading Wes to think that his fellow ranger didn't have the emotional range to articulate what he was thinking, "How serious?" Eric finally asked.

"Potentially fatal", Wes began, "it's too early to tell".

"That's a shame", Eric replied leaving Wes momentarily surprised, "they were actually competent at their job".

Wes snorted, "For a moment I'd thought you had gone soft on me", he shook his head, "we need to combine our forces together, at least until I know how to help them".

"I've told you before", Eric began, "I work alone, that's my mantra and there's no exception to that".

"Spoken like a true military person", Wes sighed, "stubborn and inflexible. Thanks for nothing Eric, I'll try and find someone with a shred of humanity to help me instead".

He turned away from the Quantum Ranger began to walk away, "Wes", Eric called out, "you're asking the wrong person for help".

"Tell me about it", Wes mumbled to himself but fortunately Eric didn't hear him.

"Your friends have some sort of disease right?" Wes nodded, "aren't you forgetting that your Dad owns BioLab, one of the most successful medical research companies in the world".

"I haven't forgotten, I just don't want my father involved in this", Wes answered.

Eric shook his head and replaced his sunglasses, "Perhaps it's time to put on your big boy pants and try asking him for help". Eric turned around and began barking orders at his men. After a few moments it became clear that he wasn't going to continue his conversation with Wes.

Wes bit his lip and watched the retreating form of the Quantum Ranger. Despite his undiplomatic way of putting it, Eric did make a good point. Maybe the scientists at BioLab could help him come up with a solution. The down side was that his father would probably ask for something in return and Wes was pretty sure that he wasn't going to like the request. Deciding to see if Time Force Command had come up with anything, he called Circuit, "I'm sorry Wes", the owl began, "it will take the Time Force research team some time to come up with a solution".

"Don't they understand the seriousness of the situation?" Wes replied.

"They do but most sicknesses have been eradicated in the future. Time Force lack the skills needed to react to a situation like this", Circuit sighed.

"All right Circuit, thanks for trying", Wes shut off communications. He started to walk back to his motorbike to commence his journey to the Clock Tower. He would monitor his friend's condition closely but if they didn't show any signs of improvement, he would have no choice but to swallow his pride and pay a visit to BioLab.

Unbeknown to the red ranger, someone had been listening to his conversation with Eric, "So the rangers have contracted an infectious illness", Frax chuckled to himself. "This is just the opportunity I needed to finally put Ransik in his place", he paused for a moment and pulled a key out of his chest, "and I know just the mutant to use". He laughed out loud before teleporting himself back to the prison ship.

 _ **A/N –**_ _Eric is such a dick but that makes him such a fun character to write. I'm not an expert on diseases or biology so I apologise to any Biology students if my science doesn't make any sense._


	3. I Can't Sleep At Night

_Chapter 3 – I Can't Sleep At Night_

 _August 10 2001 – BioLab, Silver Hills_

Inside a large office on the top floor of BioLab's headquarters, Wes sat behind his father's desk and gazed idly out the window. The view wasn't spectacular, all he could see was part of the car park and one of the other building's in the complex but the red ranger wasn't too focused on the scenery. Wes had reluctantly followed Eric's advice and sought out assistance from his father's company. The previous evening he had taken blood samples from his friends and rushed them down to the lab. Even though it was late, he knew that his father would still be in his office. To his surprise his father didn't gloat that Wes had turned to him for assistance, instead he took the samples off Wes's hands and asked him to return the following morning to allow his scientists time to run some tests.

It had been a long and uncomfortable night for Wes. All of the infected rangers had woken up at some point during the night. Some of them had been more lucid than others, Lucas had managed a full conversation but Trip only spluttered incoherently before lapsing back into unconsciousness. Around 4am everything was silent again inside the Clock Tower but that worried Wes more than the intermittent chatter. Every half an hour he nervously checked on everyone just in case something was catastrophically wrong. Eventually Circuit had to practically push Wes out the door so he could meet with his father.

The red ranger was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear the door to the office open. Albert Collins stepped inside and instantly spotted the look of apprehension on his son's face. Contrary to what his son thought, he genuinely had his best interests at heart. Initially he had dismissed Wes's actions as an action of rebellion. Unlike others during their teenage years, Wes had been pretty well behaved. Perhaps he had saved his rebellious phase to his early twenties.

As the weeks drifted past, Mr Collins began to respect his son more and more. His time with the rangers had seen him grow into a fine man. Sadly the pair were afflicted with something Albert called 'The Collins Pride', a flat out refusal to back down even when they knew they were wrong. It was a shame that it had taken a serious illness to the other rangers to bring them back together. Mr Collins walked quietly up to his desk and placed a large takeaway coffee on the surface. The noise snapped Wes's attention back to the present and he nearly fell out of the chair, "Dad, you startled me", the red ranger gasped.

"My apologies Wesley", he replied, "I thought you could do with this", he tapped the coffee, "it doesn't look like you've had much sleep".

"That's an understatement", Wes replied and took a long drag from the cup, "you remembered my favourite".

"Give your old man some credit", Albert smiled before pausing for a moment, his face turned a little more serious, "the lab has come back with their analysis".

Wes frowned as he sensed the change in his father's tone, "Is it serious?"

"The truth is that we don't even know where to begin", Mr Collins turned on the large television screen that was mounted on the wall and some of the data from the tests was displayed.

"Dad you know that I flunked Biology", the red ranger sighed.

"I'm well aware of that fact", Mr Collins began, "all four samples show significant differences from a healthy set of results". He took a step back from the screen and continued, "initially the boys in the lab thought they were fake but after looking again they confirm the source of the blood from three of them as human but it's nothing they've ever seen before. It's almost like they've been altered at DNA level but that's impossible".

Something in the back of Wes's mind suddenly clicked. He didn't even hear his father move onto the fourth sample, Trip's, the most difficult one for them to analyse. He vaguely recalled a previous conversation with the others about the widespread genetic engineering in the future. He knew they might struggle with Katie's sample, on account of her enhanced strength and Trip's Xybrian DNA but even Lucas and Jen's DNA was almost beyond recognition to twenty first century scientists. He couldn't believe that humanity would strive to change their basic genetic coding to this extent.

This gave Wes a dilemma, if he wanted to find a cure for the other then he would need to tell his father about their true origins. But could he trust his father with the knowledge that Jen and the others were from the future, "Wes are you listening to me?" Mr Collins said.

"Sorry I zoned out for a minute", Wes shook his head. The red ranger sighed, he had reached a decision. The others would probably be angry with him but at least they would be alive, "Dad what I'm about to tell you can't leave this room". Mr Collins was about to say something but Wes stopped him, "I'm serious about this Dad, if you share this with anyone then the future could be in jeopardy".

"That sounds a little dramatic but alright Wes, you have my word", Mr Collins replied.

The red ranger took a deep breath, "The reason you're having trouble with the sample is probably due my friend's origins. They're not from around here, they're from the future, the year 3000 to be precise".

Mr Collins looked at his son and chuckled slightly but his expression changed when Wes frowned at him, "You're not joking?" he asked.

"This sample", he pointed at the one on screen, "came from Trip, he's really an alien. All the rest have experienced some kind of genetic engineering. Apparently that's as normal as a first trimester scan in the future".

"The future", Mr Collins gasped and stumbled back towards his desk. He fumbled for the edge of the desk and leaned on it in shock, "That explains why we couldn't analyse the Quantum Morpher then?"

Wes nodded, "Dad you need to promise me that you won't use this information for yours or BioLab's personal gain. Too many changes have been made to the future already, any more and my friend's might not have a home to return to".

Mr Collins was still too dumb struck to do anything other than nod slowly. It took him a few moments to regain his composure, "Does Eric know about this?" he asked.

The red ranger nodded, "Jen made him promise as well, I'm shocked that he actually kept his word if I'm honest".

Before the conversation could continue, the intercom in the office buzzed, "I thought I told you not to disturb me Kirsten", Mr Collins said to his secretary.

"I'm sorry Mr Collins but I thought you'd want to see the latest news broadcast", Kirsten replied.

The CEO of BioLab grabbed a remote control and switched the television to a national news station, _"You join us live in Silver Hills at the scene of some kind of biological attack on the citizens of the city",_ the news reporter began. " _All of the victims have been rendered unconscious and are suffering from some kind of fever. The other symptoms of this disease include profuse sweating and a blotchy red mark on the neck"._

"A mutant?" Mr Collins asked his son.

"I guess so", Wes replied, "but I didn't get a call from Circuit".

" _The Silver Guardians attended the scene but they were too late to prevent the infection",_ the news reporter continued. _"A spokesman for the Silver Guardians stated that the disease is not airborne and you can only be infected through direct contact with the primary carrier. They do advise that all citizens remain indoors until the crisis has passed. We will update you once we have more information but until then this is Caitlin Cornell for NBC News"._

Mr Collins buzzed his secretary back on the intercom, "Kirsten, tell Captain Myers to report to me immediately". The office door burst open and the aforementioned Quantum Ranger strode into the room, "Nevermind he's here now".

"And he doesn't know how to knock either", Wes snarked.

Eric gave Mr Collins a salute, "Mr Collins", he said and looked over at the red ranger, "Wes".

"At ease Captain", Mr Collins began, "I assume you have something to report".

"Yes Sir", the Quantum Ranger began, "all of the infected citizens have been attacked by a mutant called Venomark. Unfortunately myself and the other Guardians couldn't prevent a widespread infection but they were able to repel the threat".

"Any casualties in your squad?" Mr Collins asked.

"Ten have been infected by Venomark, they've been transported straight to Silver Hills General", Eric stated.

"Wait a sec", Wes held up his hands, "how come you got the call and I didn't?"

"Jealous?" Eric smirked, "That oversized turkey of yours called me directly. Apparently he was worried that you didn't get enough beauty sleep ".

"Gentleman that's enough", Mr Collins cut in front of the inevitable argument, "anything else to report".

Eric nodded, "I was about to engage Venomark when Ransik showed up. I couldn't believe it but he then started fighting the mutant".

"Ransik fought his own guy?" Wes asked, "any idea why?"

"Not a clue but Ransik suffered some kind of medical seizure that was cured by this", Eric reached into his overalls and pulled out a small phial with a blue liquid in the bottom. "If I was to hazard a guess, I think that Ransik and this Venomark character have some kind of history".

Mr Collins took hold of the phial and gave it a visual once over. There was nothing remarkable about the substance, in fact it looked like ordinary water that had been dyed blue, "I'll have the boys in the lab look at this, perhaps they can come up with something".

The CEO of BioLab moved towards the door but he was stopped by Wes, "Dad, remember what we talked about", his father was hesitant but he nodded in agreement. He stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

"Did I interrupt something?" Eric asked.

"I asked my Dad to help me with the others", he tried to ignore the triumphant smirk on Eric's face, "go on say it, I told you so".

"Oh no, I've got my entire life to throw this one back at you", Eric chuckled.

"Yeah yeah", Wes groaned, "I told him about the others, that they're from the future".

Eric stopped immediately and glared in the direction of the red ranger, "I thought that information was on a need to know basis".

"The lab analysed the blood work but apparently DNA will look a lot different in a thousand years". Wes looked at his watch, "I probably should get back and check on the others", he crossed the floor of the office, "thanks for helping with Venomark and getting a sample of that liquid". Eric nodded slowly before Wes left the office, leaving the Quantum Ranger alone.

 _BioLab Research Block_

The sun was getting low in the sky but none of the scientists and researchers had left. They were under pressure to find a cure for Venomark's virus and they probably wouldn't be leaving for the rest of the night. Early analysis showed that the liquid was some kind of all purpose antidote but it was too early to tell if it would be effective. Things were so busy that even Mr Collins stayed behind to help. It was a little known fact that he graduated from college with a degree in Microbiology. He was one of the scientists that founded BioLab over twenty years ago but he soon turned his attention to the business side of the company. Eventually he took over as CEO but he still liked to visit the lab periodically, just to keep his eye in.

Whilst the rest of his team worked on the serum, Mr Collins was in a private room working on the ranger's blood results. Wes had sent him data with their healthy blood results so he could differentiate between the virus and their normal DNA. He had a theory that the serum his team were working on could also be used to help the rangers but it would take a while before he would be able to confirm that.

He was about to take a break when someone walked into his room. The man was in his late thirties or early forties with greying brown hair. He was tall, skinny and dressed in a grey suit with an open collar. He wore a pair of thick framed glasses and gave Mr Collins a firm nod as a greeting, "I don't believe we've been introduced", Mr Collins stated.

"Phillip Spader", the man said stiffly, "Head of the Directors at Project Hexagon".

Mr Collins immediately got to his feet, "How did you get past security?"

"That's not important", Spader answered, "rumour has it that you're working on the cure for this virus that infected the city".

"What of it?" Mr Collins snapped.

"Come now Albert, no need to be so tense", Spader smiled, "I've come to offer our assistance, I'm sure if we pool our resources we can reduce the time needed to create the antidote".

Mr Collins took a few moments to appraise this newcomer. Clearly Phillip Spader was a confident man but his voice and mannerisms reminded him of a car sales man or a lawyer. Mr Collins knew that Hexagon were financed in part by INET. The two companies had been big rivals for the last decade, mostly in the engineering sector. Accepting help from them would be a blow to the ego but right now he didn't have much choice, "I'm sure that you're not offering your services out of the kindness of your heart".

"Please call me Phil", the man replied smoothly, "and you insult us Albert, we're here purely as humanitarians". He crossed the room and placed an arm around Mr Collins' shoulder, "Although rumour has it that your son and one of your employees is part of the latest team of rangers".

"The press is well aware of Captain Myers role as the Quantum Ranger", he answered, shaking off the man's grasp in the process. He chose not to respond to the rumoured about Wes.

Phillip Spader smiled, "Perhaps there is a way you can help us". Mr Collins suddenly felt very uneasy, like he was about to sell his soul and the rangers, to INET and Project Hexagon.

 _ **A/N -** In the future I think that the main scientific advances we make will be to ourselves in the form of genetic engineering. In my interpretation of the Time Force future, this leads to a three tier society. There's those who can afford engineering (to join Time Force, you would have to fit into this category), those that can't and the mutants. In the future they don't get judged by wealth, gender or skin colour but how genetically perfect they are. _

_I thought it was time to give the Hexagon Directors a public face and it comes in the slippery form of Phillip Spader. You'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future..._


	4. Feel Like Death

_Chapter 4 – Feel Like Death_

 _August 11 2001 – The Clock Tower_

The morning light shone through the windows of the Clock Tower, illuminating the four beds that were laid out in the living area. A loud cough echoed throughout the building and Wes's head bolted up from its resting spot. It took him a few moments to realise that the cough he heard was actually his own. He leaned back on his chair, gave a resigned sigh and tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes. Last night had been alarming quiet in the Tower, none of his friends had made a sound. Circuit kept a close eye on them but the news wasn't good, their life signs were fading. The owl was unsure if they would last for another 24 hours.

Once Wes was fully awake he realised that his left hand was intertwined with Jen's. Her fingers loosely gripped the red ranger and her skin was extremely pale. Wes brushed some loose hair away from her face but Jen didn't move a muscle. In desperation he leaned forward and pressed his lips against her forehead. Jen's skin was cool to the touch and the kiss lingered for a few seconds. Wes was sure that he felt her move and pulled away but after a few seconds, he had to accept that it had been a figment of his imagination.

The red ranger settled back into his chair once again and closed his eyes. He wasn't a religious person but the situation was desperate. He said a silent prayer that all four of his friends would survive. He also vowed that if Jen woke up, he would tell her exactly how he felt. She might have to return to the future one day but that didn't mean they couldn't enjoy the time they had together. When Wes left home he told his Dad that he would make his own destiny and something told him that his future would include Jen in some way.

The sound of footsteps grabbed his attention and he was immediately on his feet. He touched a button on his morpher and a Chrono Blaster appeared in his hand. He hid it behind his back to maintain some element of surprise. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw a familiar red beret coming up the stairs, "Nice", Eric began, "very cosy".

"What are you doing here Eric?" Wes asked with a sigh.

"Now is that any way to talk to a fellow ranger", Eric smiled and tapped his hand on an orange suitcase in his hand, "BioLab have been working on this overnight".

Wes placed his Blaster on the chair and walked towards the Quantum Ranger, "A cure?" he asked in hope.

"Possibly", Eric began, "Mr Collins said that it worked on the blood samples but he wasn't sure how it would work on the human body. The red ranger placed the case on the kitchen counter and clicked it open. Inside the case were four phials of a light blue liquid and a set of syringes, "If it works then it should take effect within a matter of minutes".

Wes took out one of the phials and placed it into a syringe, "Thanks Eric", he said and the Quantum Ranger gave a firm nod in response, "you're welcome to stay for a bit".

"Thanks", Eric stated slowly, "but I need to help distribute the Venomark antidote to the city", he turned on his heel.

Deciding now was a good time to extend the hand of friendship further, he added, "You're welcome back any time". Eric paused like he was considering Wes's offer but he didn't linger for long. A few moments later he continued down the stairs towards his waiting vehicle.

Just when Wes thought that Eric had gone, he heard the Quantum Ranger shout, "I'll call you from the road to see if it worked". Wes smiled, perhaps there was a heart inside Eric after all.

Quickly loading up the other syringes, he went around to each of his friends in turn and injected them with the serum. He came to Jen last and sat by her bedside waiting for it to take effect. The minutes began to tick by without any obvious change in their condition and Wes was getting more nervous. He was about to call Eric when Jen slowly began to stir. Her eyelids blinked a few times and her eyes struggled to focus. This quickly passed and her gaze settled on the red ranger, "Wes?" she croaked out and slowly sat up, "why are you staring at me?"

"Jen", Wes threw his arms around the pink ranger and held her tightly, "I thought I was going to lose you".

Jen was initially confused by the affection the red ranger was showing her but after a few moments she relaxed and began to hug him back. Her head rested in the crook of his neck and she slowly inhaled his scent. Some memories slowly began to return, the fight with the Cyclobots and Trip and Katie's sudden collapse. She couldn't recall much after that, apart from the fact that Wes always seemed to be near when she briefly regained consciousness, "It's alright Wes, I'm not going anywhere", she whispered back.

A small part of Wes's heart broke when she said that. At some point she was going to leave and return to her own time, however, he wasn't going let that hold him back anymore, "Listen Jen there's something I need to say", he began and slowly released the pink ranger. He looked into her deep brown eyes and was about to speak when his morpher buzzed. He inwardly cursed at the poor timing and sighed audibly, "Wes here", he answered.

"Did it work?" Eric's gruff voice came out of his morpher.

Jen gave the red ranger a puzzled looked and mouthed 'Eric' in his direction. Wes nodded before turning his attention back to the Quantum Ranger, "Yeah I think everything's going to be alright".

There was a brief pause before Eric answered, "Your father would like to give them a check over once they're feeling well enough. He's not leaving BioLab for a while so drop by whenever", there was no goodbye as the Quantum Ranger shut down communications.

"I see some things haven't changed", Jen grumbled.

"He might have the bedside manner of a DMV worker but he's been surprisingly helpful over the last couple of days", Wes replied, "it's amazing how different people react in a near death experience".

"Speaking of near death experiences", he heard Katie call out, "remember us over here".

"Yeah what do we have to do to get some of that bedside manner", Lucas chuckled. The red and Pink rangers realised they were still holding hands and quickly released each other.

"Sorry, I'll just go fetch some water", Wes spluttered out and quickly walked towards the kitchen. Once out of sight of the others, he closed his eyes and clenched his fists in frustration, "Damn you Eric Myers, I was so close", he hissed. He was overjoyed that he would get another chance with Jen and he was going to make this one count.

 _BioLab_

The serum worked much quicker than anyone was expecting and in just a matter of hours, the rangers were almost back to normal. They still felt a little weak but they could be down to spending nearly 48 hours in bed. Deciding not to put off the visit to BioLab for any longer than necessary, they travelled to the outskirts of the city and checked in with Mr Collins. During the journey, Wes filled them in on the virus they contracted and that BioLab had created a cure for them. He neglected to tell them how his father came up with the serum but he was sure that it would come out during their discussion.

The rangers were lead to a small lab away from the main science block where the CEO of BioLab began to run the tests himself. Wes was surprised, he knew his father had a background in bioscience but he couldn't remember the last him he had been so hands on with the tests. Jen looked down at her arm as Mr Collins drew some blood and applied a plaster to the wound. She grabbed her leather jacket from a nearby table and put it on, "So what's the verdict", she asked.

"I'll need to analyse the blood samples in detail but everything seems to be proceeding like it did in the simulations", he replied, "so I'm confident that you'll make a full recovery".

The rangers breathed a sigh of relief at the news, "Thank you Mr Collins", Trip began, "I don't know how we can thank you".

"Oh I'm sure he'll think of a way", Wes muttered.

"Wesley I'm disappointed that you think so poorly of me", Mr Collins began, "you should trust me not to use any of the information you gave me for personal gain".

The rangers from the future slowly turned towards Wes and eyed him suspiciously, "What information?" Jen asked. The red ranger bit his lip and didn't offer an immediate replied, "You told him, didn't you?"

"I didn't have a choice", Wes defended himself.

"Wes how could you?" Katie folded her arms across her chest.

Wes threw his hands up in an attempt to placate his angry friend, "I'm sorry but there was no one better qualified to help".

"He's right", Mr Collins began, "due to the unique nature of your DNA", he then looked at Trip, "and alien physiology, my team knew that something was different about the blood sample Wes gave us".

"Without telling Dad why the sample were unusual, he wouldn't have been able to come up with a cure", Wes paused for a moment, "and all of you would've been dead by tomorrow".

"It was that serious?" Lucas asked and Wes nodded in confirmation.

"I chose to run the tests myself in order to protect your identity", Mr Collins added, "I've persuaded the team that ran the original tests that the blood had been compromised and that's why the results were so unusual".

The rangers allowed that information to sink in for a moment before Jen spoke up, "I think I speak for my team when I say thank you", the others nodded in agreement. "I'm happy to take your word but my superiors will need you to sign an official confidentiality contract", Jen added.

"I'll happily sign whatever you need", Mr Collins paused and took a deep breath, "however, we've got a more pressing issue". With the attention of all the rangers on him, he continued, "Last night I had a visit from someone representing Hexagon".

"The ranger organisation?" Wes asked.

Mr Collins nodded, "They helped produce the antidote for the Venomark virus but it came at a cost".

"Dad what did you agree to?" Wes groaned.

"Technically I didn't agree to anything", he replied, "the head of the Hexagon board, Phillip Spader, wants you to pledge your allegiance to their little project".

"So you signed us up?" Lucas interrupted the CEO of BioLab.

"Please give me a little more credit than that Mr Kendall", Mr Collins snapped in response, "I haven't been CEO of this company for the last fifteen years by making rash decisions". Lucas mumbled an apology before Mr Collins continued, "I agreed in principle to the project but I told him that I wasn't an official representative of the Time Force Rangers. If he wanted a full commitment then he would need to wait until you've had a chance to review the contract".

The rangers looked amongst themselves for moment, "Do you have this contract", Jen finally asked.

"I've had a quick look over", Mr Collins handed a bundle of papers to the pink ranger, "looks pretty legitimate, if a little wordy".

"Full of lawyer speak", Wes asked and his father nodded, "you've trained me well Dad, I'll have a good look over it later".

"I studied law before joining Time Force", Katie added, "I'll check for any loopholes".

Jen was still scanning the papers that Mr Collins had given her, "Off the record, what do you think about this?" she asked the CEO without looking up.

"Honestly", Mr Collins sighed, "this Spader character seemed like a good salesman but I was getting some bizarre vibes off him. If this was my deal then I would probably have walked away".

"And yet you still said yes?" Lucas raised an eyebrow.

"The city needed that serum", he began, "and it allowed me to focus on your cure. I took a risk that Spader and Hexagon would follow through on their promise and that you would be able to negotiate a good deal for yourselves".

"Alright we'll have a look at the paper work", Jen grabbed the stack of papers from Wes, "thanks again for manufacturing the serum". She looked at the rest of her team, "We'd better head back and read through this". The rangers followed their leader through the door and away from the lab. They wanted to spend the time recovering but instead they had another situation to deal with. The team had some serious issues to discuss and quickly.


	5. I Feel Them Closing In

_Chapter 5 – I Feel Them Closing In_

 _August 12 2001 – The Clock Tower_

The sound of gentle snores echoed through the Clock Tower as the sun shone brightly through the windows. The rangers had stayed up into the early hours of the morning studying the contract that Hexagon had drawn up. Lucas and Trip had managed to make it to bed before falling asleep but Katie wasn't so fortunate. The yellow ranger was sprawled out on the sofa with pieces of papers littering the floor around her. At the table Wes had passed out with his head resting on the table. The majority of the contract was spread across the surface and an empty coffee mug was beside him. The red ranger had nodded off around 3am, an achievement considering he hadn't slept much in the previous few days.

A gentle nudge stirred Wes out of his slumber but not enough to fully wake him up. A second stronger push was coupled with a voice whispering, "Wes, it's time to wake up".

The red ranger groaned and slowly lifted his head. A loose piece of paper was stuck to his face, forcing him to peel it off, "Jen", he began, "what time is it? Shouldn't you should be resting".

"It's around 10am and don't worry about me", she smiled and slid a coffee mug across the table, "my parents made me to do chores around the farm regardless of how tired I was and I guess it's stuck with me ever since".

"Never pictured you as a farm girl", Wes chuckled and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his eyes in an attempt to shake off the last remnants of sleep, "I didn't think farms would be needed in the future", he yawned.

"People still need to eat Wes", the pink ranger replied, "we don't eat magic food pills or everything out of freeze dried packets you know".

Wes took a drink out of his mug, "You've hardly shared a huge amount about the future", he stated, "I don't even know when your birthday is". It was a sore point for the red ranger that he didn't really know that much about his friends. They just kept quoting rules and regulations at him that forbid them from telling him anything.

"Time Force rules dictate the amount of information we're allowed to shared", Jen replied with a neutral expression.

Wes snorted, same old excuse he thought, "Telling me your date of birth isn't going to corrupt the timeline", he countered.

Jen pushed her coffee mug across the table between her hands, thinking about Wes's comments. She was having an eternal debate, the Time Force code was something that had been drilled into her since she joined the academy. Sharing too much information could adversely affect the future. On the other hand Wes was right, sharing things like birthdays and childhood stories wasn't going to affect the timeline that much. She looked across at the red ranger and muttered, "January 4".

"I'm sorry run that past me again", Wes's attention had waivered, partly because he had been asleep a few minutes ago but mostly because he wasn't expecting a response to his question.

"January 4 2979", Jen stated, "that's when I was born", she grabbed her mug and took a quick drink.

Wes gave her a broad smile, "See that wasn't too difficult", he paused for a moment before adding, "hang on, you're only twenty one?"

Jen placed her mug on the table and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms in front of her chest, "I'm not sure if I should be insulted by your comment or not Wesley Collins", she said with a cool tone in her voice.

"I'm not implying that you look old, the opposite actually", he waited to see if Jen's expression would change but it remained completely neutral. "It's just the way you take charge, it's like you've been doing it for years. We're the same age but I don't think I could lead the guys the way you can".

"Flattery won't get you anywhere", her words were blunt but the small smile on Jen's face told a different story. "I joined the Academy when I was twelve years old. When I was sixteen I moved over to the officer program. Taking the lead is something they drill into you from day one".

Wes nodded in response, "Alright one more question about the future, is policing much different than the twenty first century. You don't have to give me specifics if it'll damage the timeline".

Jen wasn't sure how to respond for a moment, it wasn't a question she was expecting Wes to ask. After thinking about it for a few moments, she inched across the table, "Honestly it's surprisingly similar. We may have advanced to the stage where we can travel in time and cure almost every known disease but there will always be crime. It still astounds me how cruel people can be to each other".

"It's all the same, only the names were changed", Wes chuckled, "it's a line from one of my favourite songs".

"I know, I'm a fan of classical music", she smiled in response.

"Geez, way to make me feel old", the red ranger shook his head. He glanced down towards the table before looking straight into Jen's eyes, "January's only a few months away, trust me you're going to have the best birthday this year".

Jen hesitated for a moment, "That's sounds great", she smiled but it was all an act. She had been keeping track of the mutants they had captured and there were only a few missing. Unless Ransik changed his plan of attack, they would probably have them all back in cryo-prison in a few weeks. After that, she would have to return to the future, "I should probably let you get washed up", she said and quickly stood up from the table, turning away from Wes.

"One last question", Wes called out, "why did you only wake me up? I don't see you rushing around to get the others out of bed and I know that I fell asleep long after they did".

The pink ranger didn't turn around but she did close her eyes. The truth was she liked talking to Wes, he had such an enthusiasm for life that it was almost infectious. He might look the same as her deceased fiancée but they shared nothing in common. She tried to be aloof around Wes, desperately attempting to push him away. But a part of her didn't want that and it was the part of her that loved the red ranger. It broke almost every Time Force rule but she couldn't deny how she felt any longer.

She spun around ready to confess everything to Wes but she was interrupted by the loud thump from the other end of the room. The pair turned towards the sofa and found Katie lying dazed on the floor, "Damn, must've fallen asleep", she muttered before glancing at the pair, "what time is it?"

"Time for a team meeting", Jen said quickly, "I'll go wake up Lucas and Trip", she almost ran out of the room and up the stairs.

Katie slowly stood and looked at Wes, "Did I interrupt something?"

The red ranger looked at the spot where Jen had just vacated, "I'm not really sure", he replied and got out of his seat. He walked out onto the balcony, leaving a confused Katie alone in the living area.

Half an hour later the rangers gathered in the front room, all of them in various states of preparedness for the meeting. Katie was onto her second coffee, Trip was fiddling with his notes and Lucas leaned his head on his hands, looking ready to go back to sleep at any moment. Wes took his seat but he was still confused about why Jen chose to run out of the room not long after Katie woke up. He would have to ask her other time as the pink ranger started the meeting, "Alright we've all read through this", she dropped the Hexagon contract down on the table, "any thoughts?"

"Lots of words", Lucas yawned, "just like any other legal contract".

Jen groaned, "Anyone with a more useful input".

"Hey I don't have the same background you three have", Lucas replied. Of the three cadets, Lucas was the final one to join Time Force so he had the least experience. He had only been with the organisation for a year and prior to that, he had been a racing driver, "Here's an idea, maybe the contract is designed that way".

The pink ranger raised an eyebrow, "Go on".

"Based on Wes had told us, most of the previous teams have been teenagers and still in High School. Even the older ones don't have a legal background so how would they know what they're signing". Lucas paused for a moment, "If a Time Force Cadet can't understand the contract, very few others are going to".

"He's got a point", Wes began, "my Dad taught me a few things about contracts and even I struggled to get much useful information out of this".

"But you did get something?" Trip asked.

"One you strip away the wordy nonsense, this is essentially an exclusivity contract", Wes answered. "Basically Heaxgon owns our morphers, zords and equipment and can use it however they see fit".

"Not on my watch", Jen snorted, "surely there must be a way out of this".

"Unfortunately a verbal agreement carries the same weight as a written signature", Katie began, "I did find this useful clause though". The yellow ranger turned a piece of paper around so everyone could read it, "Existing government officials and law enforcement officers are exempt from the terms of the contract".

All of the rangers leaned back in their chairs to contemplate this for a moment, "Why would they include that in the contract?" Jen asked the group.

"Maybe there's a separate contract for those people", Trip suggested.

"I dunno", Wes sighed and he tapped the table a few times, "in the future do you learn anything about ranger history?"

"A little bit", Lucas answered, "certain eras more than others, what are you getting at?"

"None of you seem to know anything about Hexagon", Wes answered, "which means that they're not relevant or important in the future. If they were crucial to the future development of the timeline then we wouldn't even be having this debate".

The rangers from the future thought about this for a moment, "Or they're so embedded in our culture that nothing can interfere with their influence". The pink ranger noticed that Wes had visibly deflated so she added, "Wes makes a good point though". She looked up to the rafters and saw their robotic assistant taking a well earned rest, "Hey Circuit we need your help". The owl hovered down to the table and landed in between the rangers, "We need you to run a search on all mentions of Hexagon in the year 2001".

The robot blinked in acknowledgement and began a search through his data banks. After a few minutes, Circuit's eyes flashed open and there was a loud claxon sound, "That doesn't sound", Katie said.

"I'm sorry guys I can't provide you with that information", Circuit began, "all data relating to Hexagon has been Time Locked until the end of the year 2015".

Wes raised an eyebrow, "Time Locked?" he asked.

"It's a Time Force protocol", Jen replied, "it prevents time travelling agents and officers from accessing sensitive information until they've passed that point in time". Jen paused for a moment and turned back to Circuit, "Can you tell us anything about the year 2015?"

"I can tell you that the weather during August in the UK was pretty miserable", Circuit stated, "but other than very basic information like that, everything else has been Time Locked".

"Sounds like 2015 is going to an interesting year", Wes said to everyone, "I'll make sure my calendar is clear. Sadly it doesn't really answer our question about Hexagon".

"It does mean that we get to make our own decision", Trip stated, "if we had to follow one particular course of action then Time Force would've left specific instructions in the database".

"Time travel really hurts my head", Katie joked, "let's never do this again".

Circuit made another buzzing noise, this time a more familiar one, "Guys Venomark is back in the city", he stated, "the Silver Guardians have been scrambled to keep the general public away".

Jen stood up from the table, "This is our chance to put him down for good and to show Ransik that we've fully recovered". The others nodded in agreement and scrambled down the stairs of the Clock Tower. After the last few days, it would be good to get back to relative normality and put another dangerous mutant back on ice.

 _ **A/N –**_ _I can confirm that Circuit's information was correct, the weather in the UK was awful last month. It was ridiculously cold and damp even by UK standards. Will Wes and Jen ever catch a break? I did leave a couple of Easter Eggs in their conversation so virtually gold stars to anyone who knows why I chose January 4 for Jen's date of birth and what Wes's favourite song is._


	6. A Deadly Game Of Hide & Seek

_Chapter 6 – A Game Of Deadly Hide And Seek_

 _August 12 2001, Central Silver Hills_

The rangers proceeded on foot out of the Clock Tower and ran through the streets towards the battle. Just a few minutes later they snuck past the barricade that the Silver Guardians had set up and they were able to survey the area. A few of the Guardians had engaged some Cyclobots with their blasters, leaving their Captain alone to tackle Venomark. The vampire like mutant was protected by his own platoon of Cyclobots. The rangers watched as an unmorphed Eric use his extensive martial arts knowledge to eliminate several of the robots in quick succession, "He's good", Trip said to the others.

"Shame he's a dick", Katie replied. The others looked at the yellow ranger in shock, "What, you're all thinking it".

When the others didn't counter the yellow ranger's comments, Wes turned his attention back to their reluctant ally. Despite his skill, Eric was slowly getting overwhelmed with sheer numbers. He was engaged with one robot, however, there was another one sneaking up from behind. The red ranger didn't hesitate for a second and immediate pushed past the others. Just as the Cyclobot was about to strike, Wes leapt into the air and knocked it to the ground. Eric finished off his attacker before looking at the fallen Cyclobot and then at Wes. There was a brief standoff before the Quantum Ranger grunted in acknowledgement, "Took your time".

"Thought you preferred to work alone", Wes smirked in response. Eric grumbled but didn't rise to the red ranger's verbal barb. Now that the way was clear, the six then turned their attention towards the mutant. Venomark had a white body and was powerfully built. There were orange patches on his body and his face was fixed with a permanent look of pain and shock.

Jen stepped forward from the group and produced her Time Force badge, "Venomark you're under arrest. Surrender your weapons and come along peacefully".

The mutant laughed and produced a golden coloured sword and blaster, "Now why would I want to do that?"

"They never make it easy", Lucas sighed.

"That's part of the fun", Eric cracked his knuckles.

"Everyone ready", Jen said to the other and they raised their morphers in response, "Time for Time Force", she called.

"Quantum Power", Eric added and the group morphed in a flash of colourful light.

Venomark roared and charged towards the group with his sword drawn. A powerful swing knocked Lucas and Katie to the ground almost immediately. Trip managed to slow down the rampaging mutant by kicking the blaster out of his right hand. The green ranger blocked a blow from the sword but he was too slow to protect himself from a punch to his stomach. He fell to the ground and clutched his stomach, "Careful with this guy", Trip called out, "he's from the X-Vault".

Eric unholstered his weapon and began to charge it up, "What's the X-Vault?" he asked the red and pink rangers.

"High Security", Jen replied, "only the most dangerous mutant were kept there".

Underneath his helmet Eric smiled, "Finally a challenge", he flicked a button on his weapon and it converted into a blade, "Quantum Defender, Sword Mode", he called and charged toward Venomark. The two blades clashed as the mutant and the Quantum Ranger fought for superiority. Eric twisted out of the hold and swung the Defender at Venomark. The mutant countered with a blow of his own. The weapons met in the middle, sending a shower of sparks up into the air.

"Come on lets join him", Wes said to the pink ranger, "Chrono Sabers", he called. Even against five blades, Venomark didn't back down and kept on attacking. He blocked a series of blows from Wes and countered with a blow to the knees and temporarily halted the red ranger. Eric reluctantly came to Wes's rescue but even he wasn't able to hold the mutant back for long. Venomark raked his sword down the Quantum Ranger's chest, knocking him to the ground.

"That's far enough Venomark", Jen stated through gritted teeth. She charged up her swords and leapt into the air, "Time Strike", with a swing of her arms a wave of pink ranger flew towards the mutant. To her shock Venomark intercepted it with his own blade and deflected it into a nearby building. Rubble rained down on the street below, scattered a few of the Silver Guardians that were in the area.

"Nice try pinkie", Venomark taunted, "now try this on for size". He ran his hands down his blade before firing a bolt of white energy towards the pink ranger. She tried to block it with her Chrono Sabers but the blast was too powerful and she was knocked to the ground. The Chrono Sabers fell out of her grasp and Jen tried desperately to get them back. She clawed her way towards her fallen weapons but they were kicked away by Venomark at the last second, "I don't think so", the mutant said, grabbing Jen by the neck and lifting her into the air, "I'm going to enjoy this".

Jen closed her eyes as Venomark's mouth got nearer to her neck. She braced herself for the bite but fortunately it never came. The pink ranger felt the heat of laser fire as a powerful blast took both her and Venomark to the ground. She turned her head slightly and noticed the blue, green and yellow rangers standing tall with their Vector Weapons in hand, "Hey ugly, it'll take more than that to keep us down", Katie bellowed as she rested her weapon on her shoulder.

Venomark lumbered to his feet and grabbed his fallen blaster, "We'll see about that", he replied and began to charge his weapon.

"Wes quickly, the Vortex Blaster", Jen said to the red ranger, summoning her Vector Weapon in the process. Once Wes was on position the team blaster was assembled, just as Venomark discharged his own weapon. The two blasts met in the middle and to everyone's shock, they neutralised each other.

"I don't believe it, what's it going to take to keep this guy down", Trip sighed, "is there enough charge left in the Blaster", he asked Wes.

"Just about but we've only got one shot so let's make it count", the red ranger replied.

"That pea shooter's no match for me", the mutant boasted and prepared to fire again. He was about to pull the trigger when a blast knocked both his blaster and sword out of his hand.

The mutant looked around and spotted Quantum Ranger posing with his weapon, "You're welcome", Eric called over to the other rangers.

Wes gave the Quantum Ranger a nod, "Vortex Blaster, Fire", and the rangers unleashed a powerful burst that struck the mutant directly in the chest. He fell to the ground with smoke pouring from his chest. Unfortunately for the team he wasn't going to stay down for long as he pulled a small patch on his leg. Moments later Venomark began to grow and he towered over the city, "Man I hate it when that happens", Wes groaned.

The red ranger was about to call for the Time Force Megazord when Eric stopped, "I've got this one", he loosened his shoulders and brought his morpher up to his mouth, "Q-Rex, arise".

The sound of heavy footsteps announced the imminent arrival of the Quantasaurus Rex and the robotic dinosaur immediately leapt into battle. He grabbed Venomark by the arm and bit down hard, drawing a cry of pain from the mutant. Venomark wasn't going to be deterred and stopped the Q-Rex's next attack by grabbing it around the head. He threw the Zord to the ground like it was nothing, "Are you sure you can handle your zord this time Eric", Lucas teased, referencing the numerous occasions when it had gone out of control.

"Just leave this to me", Eric replied dismissively, "I can't stand back seat driver's". He turned towards the Q-Rex and shouted out another instruction, "Q-Rex, Warrior Mode".

The rangers watched from the ground as the Zord began to change until it was humanoid in shape. In this mode the Q-Rex had a much easier time battling Venomark, "I'll admit, it's nice to watch this from a safe distance for once", Katie said to the others. The Q-Rex unleashed a powerful punch against the giant mutant.

"Q-Rex, Max Blizzard", Eric instructed his Zord to unleash its final attack. The Q-Rex sent a powerful wave of energy that the mutant had no way to block. Venomark felt his energy drain away and he began to shrink in size. Now cryogenically frozen and a fraction of his normal size, the dangerous mutant hit the ground with a thud.

The rangers demorphed and approached the fallen Venomark. Once again Jen retrieved her badge and used it to seal the mutant away, "That's one more mutant back where he belongs". She stood up and turned towards the Quantum Ranger, "Thanks for the assistance Eric, I thought we worked well together".

"Yeah just don't get used to it", he replied and began to walk away, "I suppose you guys weren't so bad either".

"Why that little..", Lucas began to say.

Wes though cut her off by placed a hand across his chest, "Actually that's high praise coming from Eric, trust me", he smiled.

They were about to return to the Clock Tower when they noticed that Eric had stopped. He had flipped his headset down and was engaged in an animated conversation with someone. Moments later he moved his headset up and turned around, "Wes, I think you need to come with me", he said.

The red ranger frowned, "Why what's happened?"

"It's your father", Eric began, "there was an attack at BioLab, he's been rushed to hospital".

 _Silver Hills General_

An hour later Jen, Lucas, Katie and Trip were sitting on some uncomfortable plastic seats in a waiting area at the hospital. Eric was also there but he was guarding the entrance to Mr Collins's private room. The Quantum Ranger had filled them in on some details on the way to the hospital. Ransik had found out that BioLab had manufactured the serum that cured the Venomark Virus. He broke into the facility to steal the stockpile for himself. There was a brief scuffle that resulted in Mr Collins being rushed to hospital with serious injuries.

"I hate hospitals", Jen groaned, "brings back bad memories".

"Poor Wes, first we get sick and now his father's injured", Trip added.

"Yeah it's been a pretty crappy week for him", Lucas said without adverting his gaze from an attractive nurse that was seated behind a desk. The young nurse gave the blue ranger a shy smile and he winked in response.

"Seriously, is that appropriate", Katie hissed under her breath. All of the ranger's attention was suddenly drawn towards two suited men that walked past them and tried to gain access to Mr Collins's room. There was a brief discussion but they were given a very firm no by Eric and they quickly left again without saying another word.

"Who were those guys?" Jen asked the Quantum Ranger.

Eric sighed, "That's classified", he grunted.

"Yeah well so are we", Lucas countered.

The Quantum Ranger grumbled under his breath, "Fine, they're some suits from BioLab. They wanted to discuss something with Wes but I told them to come back another time".

Just then the door opened and a shell shocked Wes walked out with a doctor. The man in the white coat gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder and walked away down the corridor, "Well what did the doctor say?" Trip asked.

Wes paused for a moment and wrung his hands together, "His injuries are serious and they don't think there's anything they can do for him". He took a couple of moments to gather himself, "They said it's a miracle he even survived but it's only a matter of time until he passes".

The rangers were immediately on their feet and gathered around Wes. Jen snaked her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a tight hug. The pair held each other for a few moments as everyone expressed their sympathies. Even Eric grasped his shoulder in support for a few moments, "I know this isn't the time but the BioLab suits want to hold an emergency meeting", the Quantum Ranger began, "I told them politely to remove themselves from my presence".

Wes turned around as Jen slowly released her grip but the red ranger still held her around the waist, "I don't think you told them politely Eric but thanks for letting me know". He took a deep breath, "I probably should get this over with".

"Wes you don't have to go now", Jen pleaded with him.

"It's alright I know what they're going to say", he began, "they're going to appoint a temporary CEO".

The others looked amongst themselves in confusion, "Who?" Katie asked.

"Me", Wes sighed, "I'm my father's appointed successor". The red ranger gazed towards the ground, he left home to try and avoid becoming BioLab's new CEO. Sadly it didn't look like he was going to be able to change his destiny after all.

 _ **A/N –**_ _Should've named this story "Wes Collins has a very bad week". The answers to my Easter Egg questions were: January 4 is Erin Cahill's date of birth and the song was Wanted Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi. Gold stars to anyone who got that._


	7. Then I Will Be Gone

_Chapter 7 – Then I Will Be Gone_

 _August 14 2001, Silver Hills General_

Three days after Albert Collins's admission into hospital, his condition had barely changed. He was still in a coma and was being kept alive through a life support machine. Reporters had been camped outside BioLab, the hospital and the Collins Mansion trying to get the latest updates. The Silver Guardians were being stretched to their limit by providing security to those locations. With his new role as CEO, Wes had to distance himself from the other rangers to avoid anyone looking too deeply into their background. Fortunately for them Ransik had decided to take it easy for a few days and the city had been surprisingly quiet.

It was just after lunchtime when the rangers from the future arrived back at the hospital. This would be their first face to face meeting with the red ranger since his father's hospitalisation. Running BioLab even on a temporary basis was keeping him busy. A couple of Silver Guardians posted at the hospital escorted them to the private room where Mr Collins was being treated. Outside the door Eric was waiting to greet them. The Quantum Ranger looked like he hadn't gotten much sleep in the previous few days, "Hey Eric, any change", Trip greeted.

"Not really", he replied, "but you'll have to ask Wes for more details", they looked through the blinds covering the window and saw Wes hunched over a chair by his father's bedside.

"Can we see him?" Lucas asked.

Eric nodded, "One at a time though", the others nodded their heads, "hospital rules, not mine", he added.

There was a silent conversation between the rangers before Jen was gently nudged towards the door. She took a deep breath and stepped inside, "I really hope Mr Collins is alright", Katie said.

"Maybe this will give Wes and Jen the nudge they need to finally need to get together", Trip added but everyone glared in his direction, "what did I say?"

"Trip, Wes's father could be dying and you're thinking about that", Lucas scolded the green ranger.

"Even I found that to be in bad taste little man", Eric shook his head.

"I didn't mean it like that, I was just trying to generate some positive energy", Trip stammered.

Katie placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know what you mean Trip, after the week we've had, we could use some good news".

Inside the private room, Jen approached the red ranger as quietly as he could, "It's alright Jen, I'm not asleep", Wes said without turning around.

"How did you know it was me?" she asked in surprise.

Wes slowly turned his chair around to face the pink ranger. There were heavy bags under his eyes and his shirt and tie were slightly dishevelled, "I heard your voices outside and I knew they would send you in", he gave her a small smile.

The silence in the room was periodically interrupted by the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. Mr Collins lay completely still on the bed with an IV line in his arm and a tube down his throat, "Any change?" Jen asked in hope.

Wes shook his head, "If anything he's getting worse", he glanced over at his father, "he can't breathe unaided and the doctors mentioned that there's minimal brain activity". He paused for a moment, "They said if his condition doesn't change in the next few hours then I might have to consider switching off his machine". Jen bit her lip and placed an arm around his shoulder, "Seem all I've done this week is sit at the bedside of people I love", he added.

The pink ranger's heart skipped a beat at the use of the word love, did that mean that Wes loved her as well? During her illness he was always present at her bedside, she remembered this from the brief moments she was awake. This wasn't the moment to discussion that with Wes though so instead she held him in silence for a few minutes. "I never got to say goodbye to my father", she finally broke the silence, "or my mother".

"Are they both..", Wes's voice trailed off.

"Dead?" Jen completed his sentence and then nodded slowly, "five years ago they were involved in a road accident, neither of them were fifty years old".

"That's no age at all", Wes squeezed her hand in support.

"Certainly not by thirty first century standards", she began, "medical advances mean that life expectancy is well over a hundred and fifty". She snorted and shook her head, "We've cured almost all diseases and can even bring people back from the dead if we get to them quickly enough but a simple car crash took my parents away from me". She looked down at Wes briefly, "Sorry probably not the best time to bring this up".

The room descended into an awkward silence but finally Wes asked, "You said you could bring people back from the dead", Jen nodded, "why didn't Time Force do that for Alex?"

A small lump formed in Jen's throat at the mention of her deceased fiancée. It wasn't out of grief but more from guilt because if she was honest, she hadn't thought about Alex for several weeks, "I'm not sure, they just told me they couldn't do it", she replied, "I was so focused on getting even with Ransik that I never questioned it".

Before their conversation could continue there was a soft knock on the door. The pair turned around and Lucas had stuck his head through the door, "Sorry to interrupt but there's an attack down town", she said.

Jen's gaze immediately returned to Wes, "We can manage without you if you'd prefer to stay, I'm sure Eric can help us with this one".

The red ranger thought about the offer for a moment and wondered what his Dad would do in this situation. "No I should go with you", he replied, "I've made my peace with Dad and if the worst happens whilst I'm gone then at least I got to say goodbye". He turned back towards his father's bed and leaned down, "Goodbye Dad, thanks for everything", he whispered and kissed his forehead.

"Are you sure about this?" Jen squeezed his arm.

Wes took a deep breath, "Yeah, perhaps kicking some mutant ass will be good therapy for me", he replied. As he left the room Lucas clapped him on the shoulders and the rangers set off towards the latest attack.

Most of the hospital had been distracted by the latest mutant attack, either through watching it on the news or being asked to cover in another department. Admissions usually rose during an attack so the hospital was placed on to high alert. That would explain why an unknown man was able to sneak past security and up to the room of Albert Collins. The figure briefly looked through the window before stepping inside. With Eric absent due to the mutant attack, the room was completely unguarded. The mystery man took a quick look around and closed the door, shutting the blinds in the process. He glanced down at Mr Collins and then looked at his watch, "Any moment now", he muttered.

The heart monitor started to beep a little slower and it wasn't long before a continuously droning tone could be heard. Almost immediately the figure turned off the machine and disconnected it from the wall, "There, that should give us some peace and quiet", he commented and looked at his watch again.

After counting off a full minute, the mystery man reached into his pocket and pulled out a glowing orb around the size of a baseball. He placed it into Mr Collins's hand and made sure that he held it as tightly as he could. He nodded in satisfaction and placed a pair of sunglasses onto his face. He looked out into the corridor and when he was happy that no one was paying attention, he snuck outside and disappeared.

A couple of hours later the alert around the city had been lifted and it was safe of visitors to return to the hospital. The rangers immediately made their way up to Mr Collins's room but they were in for a shock. The door was wide open and the room was completely empty. The bed had clean sheets and all of the medical equipment had been moved. Wes lowered his head and a small tear formed in his eye, "I'm sorry Wes", Jen muttered and the other echoed the pink rangers sentiments.

"Ah Wes there you are", a voice called out from the door. It was the doctor that had been treating Mr Collins. He was in his early fifties with short white hair, "Sorry are these friends of yours", Doctor Harris asked.

"Yeah they are", the red ranger was able to replied, "look Doctor I think I already know what's happened".

"I'm not sure that you do", Doctor Harris began, "not long after you left, we were alerted to the fact that someone had unplugged Mr Collins's machine".

"You're not suggesting that was one of us are you?" Eric asked with a small amount of menace in his voice.

"Certainly not Captain Myers", the doctor said, "as I was saying after this alert we rushed into to check on your father and", he paused for a moment, "well I could hardly believe it".

Wes frowned, "Believe what?"

Doctor Harris smiled, "Perhaps it's easier if I show you". He stepped aside and a nurse pushed someone through the door in a wheelchair, "Dad", Wes gasped and rushed to hug his father.

"Careful Wesley", Mr Collins replied, "I'm still a little sore".

The red ranger chuckled and turned back to the doctor, "I don't understand, two hours ago he was at death's door".

"I know but we've run every single test and other than a bit of bruising your father is as fit as he was before", the doctor replied, "perhaps maybe even fitter".

As soon as the doctor mentioned this, Jen frowned and her eyes began to scan the room. Lucas and Eric picked up on the pink ranger's unusual behaviour and they looked at her curiously. "Tell you what, I fancy some fresh air", Mr Collins began, "if that's alright with my doctor".

"I don't see why not but try not to overwork yourself", Doctor Harris replied.

Wes took the wheelchair off the nurse and turned his father around, "Are you coming as well?" he asked the other rangers.

"No you go on without us", Eric replied for the rangers, "it'll give you and your father some time alone". Wes frowned but took the Quantum Ranger's words at face value. As soon as he had pushed Mr Collins out the door, Eric turned toward the pink ranger, "Alright so what's set your spider sense off", he asked.

Jen vaguely understood the reference to the comic book after listening to Wes go on about them for hours once, "Something doesn't feel right, there's no way that Mr Collins should be fine after the injuries he suffered".

"Yeah I was wondering about that", Lucas began, "given the technology in this time period it's a miracle he's alive".

"Unless it wasn't twenty first century technology that saved him", she replied, "there's only one thing I know of that can heal serious injuries that quickly and efficiently".

Trip snapped his fingers, "A healing cube", he exclaimed.

"What the hell's a healing cube?" Eric asked.

"It's a piece of medical equipment from the future", the green ranger replied, "if it's used between one and five minutes after clinical death, it can heal all injuries in a matter of hours. It has some limitations, it won't work if the patient suffered a massive brain injury or if they've died of old age but other than that, it's almost always effective".

"Hang on, so you're telling me that someone used a healing cube on Mr Collins", Katie began, "but that technology won't exist for nearly seven hundred years".

Eric took a moment to process this, "Could someone else have come back from the future?"

The others looked amongst themselves for a moment but they all came to the same conclusion. As they hadn't brought any healing cubes with them, the only way that one could've been used was if someone else had arrived from the future. If that was the case there were two questions that needed answering, who was it and why had they healed Mr Collins?

 _ **A/N -** I keep teasing Wes/Jen, don't worry they'll get your moment. The healing cube concept is a little bit like 'Full-Life' magic, very effective but you have to be dead for it to work. _


	8. Do You Believe What You Hear?

_Chapter 8 – Do You Believe What You Hear?_

 _August 16 2001 – The Clock Tower_

Albert Collins had been discharged from Silver Hills General the previous day, stunning doctors and experts alike. Even the press were amazed by the speed of his recovery, several papers and news channels had already dusted off his obituary ready to use at a moment's notice. The news reporters were still camped outside the Collins Mansion, only this time they were confirming his good health,

" _After reportedly being at death's door just a few days ago, Albert Collins looks in remarkable condition"_. The rangers were huddled around a small television in the main living area of the Clock Tower watching a broadcast from the city's local reporter. The image on screen showed Mr Collins walking across the ground of his home and waiving for the cameras, " _Shares in BioLab rose significantly with news of his good health, leading some Wall Street experts to question the earlier medical reports that had been issued by the company"._

"What a total bitch", Wes shook his head, "this isn't the first time she's run a shoddy report about our family and her daughter's just as bad".

"Some people will do anything for a story", Jen tried to soothe the red ranger.

" _There's no word on when Mr Collins will return to work full time, however, we understand that his son and acting CEO Wesley has stepped down from that role"._

"At least she got that right", Trip stated. Almost the second Mr Collins left hospital he had relieved Wes of his duties, much to the relief of the red ranger. Whilst he hadn't fared too badly in the role, Wes knew that he wasn't cut out to lead a company like BioLab just yet.

" _I'm sure you'll join myself and the rest of the team in wishing Albert Collins a speedy recover. This is Caitlin Cornell for NBC News"._

Lucas reached over and switched the television off, "Well that's enough of that", he clapped his hands together, "now who fancies some lunch?" he asked.

The others began to move off their chairs they heard a voice shout up the stairs, "Avon calling".

Katie looked at the others and frowned, "Is that Eric?" Moments later the Quantum Ranger's head appeared from the stairs, "Twice in one week Eric, we'll have to start charging you rent". It was then that she noticed a large orange and silver case in his hand, "Seems like you're eager to move in", she added.

"Ha ha very funny", Eric began, "a couple of my boys found this at the beach, thought you'd want to see it". He placed the case on the floor and showed them a logo that was printed on the side.

"That's the Time Force emblem", Trip stated, "but we cleared everything off the beach months ago".

"Maybe you forgot something", Eric replied, "it appears to be ticking as well", on the top of the case was a digital display that was counting down towards something. "I analysed it before bringing it here so I know it's not a bomb".

"Gee you do care after all", Jen gave him a small smile, "I know what this is, it's a time lock box".

"Sounds hard to say", Wes joked.

"Don't get smart Wes", the pink ranger replied, "only senior officials at Time Force can use these. They're programmed to open at precisely the right moment in time".

Lucas bent down and examined the case, "I've heard of these but I've never seen one, I wonder what's inside".

"Looks like you'll find out in about 10 minutes", Eric pointed at the display, "assuming you still display time the same way in the future".

The rangers from the future were about to reply but a buzzing from another case stopped them, "That's Time Force Command", Jen stated and immediately began to unload the communication device. Two small metal poles were placed on the nearest table and expanded. Moments later a face appeared between the poles and Jen gave him a salute, "Captain Logan", she stated.

"At ease Lieutenant Scotts", Captain Logan relied, "you too Cadets Kendall, Walker and Regis". Logan looked passed them towards the other two men in the room, "Good Mr Collins and Myers are present too, then we can get started".

"Are we in trouble Sir?" Trip asked nervously.

"Depends on your definition of trouble Cadet Regis", Captain Logan replied, "however, this briefing will be conducted by my superior officer". He looked off screen and called out, "Over to you Major".

"I didn't know that Logan had a superior", Katie whispered to the others, "not in our division anyway".

Moments later another man with slicked back dark hair appeared on screen. Everyone gasped for two reason, firstly he bore a remarkable resemblance to Wes and secondly, he was supposed to be dead, "Alex", the future rangers exclaimed.

"Hello team", he replied stiffly, "Jennifer", he added in the direction of the pink ranger. Wes glanced across at Jen and she was looking a little shaky on her feet.

"Great now there's two of them", Eric broke the mood with his sarcastic comment.

"Hello Eric", Alex rolled his eyes, "I take it you found the box I left on the beach".

"That you left behind", Wes said, "have you been here in 2001?" Alex nodded his head, "wait a sec, did you heal my father?"

"I did but I explain my reasons another time", Alex began, "I've been reading the reports and comparing them against events that happened in the year 2001. Unfortunately the time streams around that era have become muddled due to the presence of Time Force. I was about to return myself to try and fix the damage when a time locked message reactivated in our archives".

Alex looked offscreen and another screen appeared above the one he was on, "This message will be recorded in three days time, however, I can play you its contents as it won't affect events in the future. It might be easier to see it for yourself rather than have me try to explain them".

The image flickered and showed Jen sitting inside the Clock Tower, " _This is Lieutenant Jennifer Scotts, ID number 023485. Due to an infection suffered by myself and my team, I am forced to activate protocol D51. Please make all necessary arrangement for permanent relocation to the twenty first century"._ The Jen on screen paused for a moment and wiped her eyes, _"In accordance with Time Force protocol, this message will be time locked until August 10 3000"._ She stopped again but this time leaned forward and switched off the camera.

The rangers from the future were stunned into silence by the message and all of them stared vacantly at the screen. "Sorry to break the silence again", Eric began, "but what is protocol D51?"

"In the event of contracting an illness that is extinct in the future, the officer in question will be permanently quarantined to the time period they are in", Alex recited off the top of his head, "I'm sorry but we can't risk you bringing back something that could endanger the population of the future".

"But we've been cured", Katie had a few tears forming in her eyes, of the rangers from the future she was the one that missed the future the most, "surely this is some kind of mistake".

"It's not", Jen replied with a small voice, "it's one of the fundamental principles of Time Force. With everything that's happened in the last few days, I completely forgot about it".

"This is why all officers receive boost to their immune system before time travelling. This would've been prevented if you had followed protocol", Alex added with no emotion in his voice. The yellow ranger bit her lip, trying to fight the tears back. She couldn't hold them back though and moments later she ran out of the room, closely followed by Lucas and Trip.

Wes frowned at the man who shared his appearance, "That was a little harsh man, you could at least show some compassion for your staff".

"You think that I don't care", Alex replied, "I've lost four of my best officers and now I've got to explain to their families why they won't be coming back. This isn't a walk in the park for me either".

"Well you could've fooled me", Wes snapped.

"Can we not have this argument right now", Jen rubbed her temples before turning towards Wes and Eric, "can you give us a couple of minutes". The pair reluctantly nodded and stepped onto the balcony that overlooked the city. Jen took a deep breath, "Alex how are you alive, I thought that Ransik killed you?"

"He did", Alex replied, "fortunately the doctors were able to use a healing cube on me but I was outside the usual time restrictions. It was touch and go for a few days but eventually I began to improve. By this point you and the others had already followed Ransik through time".

The pink ranger glanced to the floor and took a few moments to gather her thoughts, "Why didn't you tell me that you were still alive?"

Alex stiffened up for a moment before answering, "Time Force Command decided that you and the others would be more motivated to catch Ransik if you thought I was dead", there was a momentary pause, "and I agreed with them". The silence in the room was deafening as Jen looked away from the screen and took a couple of paces away from the screen, "The cases contains supplies for everyone to start a new life in 2001 along with something for Wes and Eric". Jen still couldn't make eye contact with Alex and stood with her arms folded, "I'll come and issue everyone with their final orders in three days time". Sensing that Jen wasn't going to say anything else, Alex turned off the communicator.

For a few moments Jen stared at the vacant space where Alex's face had been. She didn't know how to react initially but she eventually settled for sweeping the poles off the table in a fit of anger. She leaned on the table, still not sure whether to be furious or break down in tears. "Geez that guy was stone cold", she heard Eric's voice from the other side of the room, "and people call me an asshole".

The pink ranger glared at Eric for a few moments before breaking into a loud chuckle. Moments later the tears began to fall down her cheeks. Wes stepped forward and enveloped her in a tight hug, "Don't worry Jen, everything will be alright".

"How do you know that Wes?" Jen said between bouts of tears, "We've been marooned a thousand years in the past".

"I don't really know", the red ranger whispered, "I just have a feeling".

The pair held each other for a couple of minutes, much to the discomfort of Eric. Suddenly their attention was drawn towards the suitcase when it made a loud clicking noise, "I forgot all about that", Jen wiped her damp face with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Let's see what gifts Mr Stone Cold gave you", Eric crouched down and opened the case. Inside were bundles of papers, along with twenty first century passports, driving licenses and birth certificates, "Looks like you're set up for life", the Quantum Ranger began, "even got some high school transcripts and college degrees. They look pretty authentic as well".

"That's because they are", Jen sniffed, "the national records office has technically reissued old style documents. All we need to do is find a way to input them into the system here and everything will be legal". She took her new birth certificate from Eric and chuckled, "As far as anyone's concerned Jennifer Erin Scotts was born on January 4 1980 and has lived in Washington State all her life".

Internally, Wes was full of conflicting emotions. He was secretly happy that Jen and the others wouldn't have to return to the future but all of them were completely devastated about having to leave their home behind. He remembered that leaving home to go to Prep School was hard enough but he couldn't imagine having to live in a different century. Just then he noticed a folded piece of paper inside the case, "Eric can you pass me that note".

The Quantum Ranger complied and watched as Wes read the note, "What does it say?" he asked.

"Dear Mr Collins and Mr Myers", Wes began to read, "due to your diligent service for Time Force in the most extraordinary of circumstances, you have been officially appointed as Time Force Cadets. Please find enclosed your uniforms and badges". Eric looked a little closer and found a zip in the fabric of the case. Inside were two white uniforms, identical to the ones the other rangers had. There were also two pairs of sunglasses with red tinted lenses and a couple of Time Force Badges. Wes's looked the same as the others but Eric's had a red painted background.

"Now this I wasn't expecting", Jen said, "I wonder why Alex did this?"

"I dunno but I look forward to having a few words with him when he arrives", Eric looked at the uniform with a confused expression, "I'd better be going, my unit were expecting me back by now". He folded the uniform up and placed the badge in his pocket.

Once he had left, Wes and Jen were all alone in the main living area. An uncomfortable silence hung in the air, "So what we going to do now?" Wes asked and for once Jen didn't have an answer. They were going to need some time to process all of these revelations.

 _ **A/N –**_ _Well that's going to shake things up. Alex is an interesting character and I wouldn't mind exploring it in more detail but that won't happen in this story. Three more chapters to go..._


	9. Can You Believe What You Feel?

_Chapter 9 – Can You Believe What You Feel?_

 _August 19 2001 – The Clock Tower_

For the first time in months Katie was wearing her Time Force uniform but it no longer gave her the same sense of pride that it used to. She was the oldest of Jen's group of cadets, in fact she was two years older than the squad leader herself. In many ways Katie had been bred for a position in Time Force. Both of her parents worked in law enforcement and they had planned for their children to follow the same career. By the year 3000 the population of Earth was so high that governments had instigated a one child policy. The only exceptions to that were if your children were going to serve in law enforcement or the military.

Katie was the youngest of four children and all of them had been engineered with different genetic gifts. As soon as she was twelve, the yellow ranger was enrolled at the Time Force academy. Her enhanced strength made her a natural at close combat, however, she wanted to bring more to a team then power so she had taken three years out to study law. All of that though appeared to have been a waste of time now that she was stuck in 2001.

"Sorry I'll never get to say goodbye", Katie said to herself as she stroked a worn out photograph of her family.

"Hey Katie", she heard Trip call out from behind her. Both he and Lucas were dressed in their uniforms, "feeling any better?"

"Not really, I thought a bender might help but twenty first century alcohol just reminded me that we're stuck here", Katie replied.

"This isn't healthy for you Katie", Lucas sighed, "you're not the only one who's left family behind in the thirty century". The other's looked towards the blue ranger, they thought that Lucas was an only child that didn't have a great relationship with his family. He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a photograph of a girl no older than ten, "That's my baby sister Amy".

Trip looked at the picture, the girl did look like a younger Lucas, "Then that means your family violated the single child rule".

Lucas nodded, "To stop the authorities from taking her away, they sent me to the academy, claimed they had planned to all along. For a while I was pissed off with them for showing favouritism towards Amy but I eventually came to understand why they did it".

"I didn't know", Katie stated.

"No one did", Lucas took the photo back from Trip, "apart from Captain Logan. I was told only to share this with the people I trusted the most".

"Aww Lucas, you do care", the yellow ranger grasped his hand.

"Yeah but don't go sharing that around", Lucas smirked, "what about you Trip, are you going to miss the future?"

"I suppose", Trip shrugged, "it wouldn't be the first time that I've had to start again". He rung his hands together, "When I was five there was a war on my home planet. My family sent me to Earth and promised that they wouldn't be too far behind", he paused for a moment, "that was thirteen years ago".

"Oh Trip", Katie sighed.

Trip took a few moments to compose himself, "It was hard, everyone was pleasant enough but I was still an alien on a strange planet. Almost as soon as I was able to, I enrolled in Time Force but it never really felt like home. Maybe I'll finally have a chance to make this my permanent home", he added.

"Oh you two", Katie wrapped her arms around Lucas and Trip, "I was so focused on my problems that I forgot about everyone else".

The yellow ranger was so focused on her hug that she didn't notice that the two men were turning blue, "Katie, can't breathe", Lucas gasped and he frantically tapped her on the arm. She looked at the pair apologetically and released her grasp, "Maybe you've got a career as an athlete ahead of you", he was able to splutter.

"Lucas raises a good point", Trip rubbed his neck to try and get some feeling back, "once we've captured Ransik, what are we going to do?"

"Maybe Alex will have a plan when he arrives later", Katie shrugged.

Looking down at his watch, Trip gasped, "We'd better get moving, I'll go get Wes and Jen".

Almost immediately Katie grabbed the back of the green ranger's uniform and pulled him back, "Not so fast, they're out on the balcony together".

The blue and green rangers looked at each other, "So?" they both said.

"Men have no sense of romance", Katie shook their head.

"Wait a sec you think they finally confessed to each other?" Katie nodded, "Hang on didn't you have August in our sweepstake", Lucas added.

The yellow ranger turned and began to walk down the stairs, "I accept cash only gentlemen", she laughed.

Out on the balcony, Jen looked over the city and fiddled nervously with the engagement ring Alex gave her. Any fiancée should've been overjoyed to find out their partner was still alive but the only emotion she felt was betrayal. Alex had been secretly running their operations for months without even letting them know he was alright. Clearly he thought more about his duty to Time Force then his love for her. Jen always knew that Alex was fully committed to Time Force but this was taking it one step too far.

Then there was Wes and her growing attraction towards the red ranger. At first Jen thought that she was projecting her feelings towards Alex onto Wes, the two of them did look almost identical after all. But as time passed she realised that the red ranger was everything that Alex wasn't. He had a great sense of humour and wasn't afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve. Despite his rocky start, Wes had even developed a strong sense of duty but he still put his friends and family first. That was the crucial difference between the pair and that made her next action a lot easier.

She looked down at the ring and furiously tore it off her finger. She gripped her hand tightly around the ring and was about to throw it off the Clock Tower when a voice stopped her, "I wouldn't do that". She turned around and saw Wes dressed in his new uniform, "If you're determined to get rid of it then at least pawn it, might be worth a few dollars". Wes continued to talk but Jen's attention kept wavering. He was tugging nervously at his uniform before waiving a hand in front of her face, "Earth to Jen, anyone home".

"Sorry Wes", she shook her head, "I was miles away".

"So I see", Wes frowned, "anything you want to share?"

Jen thought about a response for a few moments, "The future, ironically", internally she winced, it wasn't the best answer but it summed up her emotions perfectly.

"Your personal future or the _future_ future", Wes asked.

"Bit of both", Jen smiled, somehow Wes was tuned perfectly to her thoughts, "just thinking about what to do after we capture Ransik".

Wes shrugged, "A few celebratory drinks", the pink ranger chuckled briefly before fixing him with her serious expression, "I dunno Jen I'm not thinking that far ahead yet", he added. "How does this sound, let's beat Ransik first and worry about what to after that. Worst comes to worst I'm sure my Dad would give you all some kind of role in his company".

"Still so relaxed about life aren't you rich boy", she replied. Wes laughed at the nickname, once upon a time Jen had used that term in a derogatory manner but this time it was said with affection.

"It's one of the reasons why you love me", Wes immediately stopped, he had used the 'L' word again.

"No keep going", Jen pleaded.

Wes took a deep breath, this was the moment he had been waiting for, "I don't think it's a secret Jen but I'm crazy about you", he paused for a moment, "no that's not completely true because I love you Jennifer Scotts".

There was a moment of silence as Jen didn't move a muscle. Wes was beginning to wonder if he had done the right thing but Jen soon pushed that thought out of his head by quickly closing the gap between them and placed her hands on his cheeks. She gentle pulled him down toward her and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

The pair were locked together for a few moments until Jen pulled away slightly and pressed her forehead against Wes's, "I love you too Wes", she whispered, "but there's just one thing you've got to promise me".

"Anything", Wes gasped.

"Don't call me Jennifer again", she smiled, "that's what Alex called me".

"You're wish is my command", Wes laughed and placed his hands into Jen's. "You're probably not going to want to hear this but we probably should get going, don't want to keep his mightiness waiting".

"Are you talking about Alex or Eric", Jen laughed.

"I forgot about Eric", Wes shrugged, "I don't think that either of them could ruin my good mood today".

The couple intertwined their fingers, stepped off the balcony and back into the living area. The room was empty so they assumed that the others had already gone downstairs. No one was in the store front either so they stepped outside into the street. Almost immediately they were confronted with an excited looking Lucas, Katie and Trip. "Does this mean what I think it means", Katie asked and pointed at their hands.

Wes and Jen looked at each other and smiled, "Yeah I guess it does", Wes answered. There was a chorus of "finally" and words to similar effect from the trio before Katie wrapped them up with one of her bone crushing hugs.

"I am so pleased for you", she stated and released the hug. She turned around to face the blue and green rangers and held out her hands, "Pay up you two". The pair grumbled and they both reluctantly pressed a ten dollar bill into her hands.

"You were betting on us?" Jen asked in shock.

"It kept us entertained for months", Lucas shrugged, "shame I lost though".

The couple were momentarily stunned into silence but any further conversation was interrupted by a buzz from their communicators, "Probably Eric, the impatient ass", Wes grumbled.

"I've got it", Trip said and answered the call.

"Where the hell are you?" Eric's voice boomed from their communicators, "I've been standing on this beach for fifteen minutes".

"Sorry Eric", Trip apologised, "but we've been waiting on Wes and Jen".

"Are those two finally together? If they are then you and blue boy owe me ten bucks each", Eric asked.

"Not you as well Eric", Wes rolled his eyes, "did everyone have a bet on us".

Eric snorted, "Easiest twenty bucks I've made this year, now get your butts here. I'm not dressed like John Travolta for nothing", he didn't say another word and shut down the channel.

"Well I guess that means he's wearing the uniform so we'd better not keep him waiting". She began to walk away before turning around, "After this meeting we're going to have a serious discussion about the rules on gambling when you're on the job".

Katie, Lucas and Trip groaned, "Have fun guys", Wes laughed and ran to catch up with Jen. He placed his arm around her shoulder and gave the pink ranger a warm smile. No matter what came out of their meeting with Alex, at least there was something positive to take out of today.


	10. Can You Believe?

_Chapter 10 – Can You Believe?_

 _August 19 2001 – Silver Hills Beach_

The ride down to the beach gave each of the ranger's time to reflect on the last few hours. Katie had finally accepted that her new home would be in 2001. She would miss her family greatly but she would have the friendship of her fellow rangers to help fill that void. For Wes and Jen they were in the tentative stage of a new relationship. There had been numerous obstacles in their way but all of them had evaporated in the last few days. The next few weeks would be crucial if their relationship was going to last, although most of them would probably be spent fighting Ransik.

Perhaps the most important thing that had come out of this was that all of them had reaffirmed their bond with each other. Most of the rangers from the future were leaving their family behind but they had found a new family in each other. There was the couple, Wes and Jen, the caring older sister, Katie, the often overlooked middle child, Lucas and the younger brother, Trip, that everyone looked out for. There was even an eccentric uncle in the form of Eric.

Speaking of the Quantum Ranger, he was pacing impatiently up and down the shore line. He pushed the sleeve of his Time Force uniform up to check the time, "Fifteen minutes late", he grumbled, "glad they're not in my unit". Even though he was wearing his uniform, he still wore his Silver Guardian's beret on his head. If he was going to be forced to join Time Force then he still wanted to show his independence at the same time.

Eric had mixed feeling over his appointment as a Cadet in Time Force. He was annoyed that Alex had signed him up without even asking for his input. He had made it perfectly clear that he preferred to work alone so he couldn't see Alex's logic behind the move. After thinking about it for a couple of days, perhaps this wouldn't be such a bad thing. The Quantum Ranger could make his mark in the history books as one of the pioneers of Time Force. Having Wes as his equal only made things that little bit sweeter for Eric. The pair were finally on an even footing so there would be no arguments when Eric showed everyone that he was better.

The sound of motorcycles caught Eric's attention and he turned towards the noise. He folded his arms across his chest and frowned, "You're late", he spat.

"Sorry we got held up", Lucas replied and handed over ten dollars to the Quantum Ranger.

"If I wasn't making money right now I would be really pissed off", Eric grumbled in response.

"So this is what happy Eric looks like then", Katie whispered to the others. The Quantum Ranger heard what she said but fortunately he wouldn't get a chance to respond.

Above their heads the sky began to ripple and change colour. Moments later a portal opened and a golden coloured ship blasted through the gap. It hovered overhead before firing it's landing rockets and settled down into the sand. The door to the ship opened and Alex stepped onto the beach. The rangers gave him a salute, although Wes wasn't aware of the protocol so he was a little late, "At ease", Alex stated and the team did as they were ordered, "surprised you saluted me Eric", he added.

"I respect your rank, despite my personal feelings towards Time Force", Eric shrugged.

"I see", Alex replied coolly, "I hope that you've all had a chance to digest the news and I'm here to answer any questions you might have. Unfortunately I'm only cleared to be here for a short period of time so just the one question each if you don't mind".

All of the ranger's frowned but chose not to say anything. After a silent debate amongst themselves, Katie asked the first question, "What have our families been told?"

"The truth", Alex began, "that you've been forced to remain in the twenty first century. That information won't be made public though so only your family knows what really happened". He paused to allow that piece of information to sink in before continuing, "The general public believes that the four of you died in a tragic accident and you will be given a ceremonial burial".

Trip nervously raised his hand, "Why?"

"I'm taking that as your question Cadet Regis", his commanding officer stated, "we believe that it'll help prevent unauthorised time travel. If highly trained officers can fall victim to an accident then they are more likely to suffer an accident as well". Wes snorted and muttered something underneath his breath, "Something to add Cadet Collins", Alex frowned.

"Not at this point", the red ranger replied, "Sir", he added sarcastically.

"We have no influence over Time Force policy", Lucas cut across an impending argument between Wes and Alex, "my family's deal", the blue ranger added, "how is affected by my supposed death?"

"No change", Alex stated, "in fact with your 'passing', this frees Amy from any obligation to join Time Force or the military". Lucas breathed a sigh of relief and nodded in appreciation.

"I've got a question", Eric began, "why make Wes and I Time Force officers? The organisation doesn't exist so surely we've got no one to answer to".

"On the contrary Cadet Myers", Eric grumbled at the use of his rank but Alex chose to ignore him, "the recent events regarding Hexagon have disturbed Time Force Command greatly, especially as all information between the years 2002 and 2015 has been Time Locked. We feel that this needs further investigation to ensure that nothing affects the future and who better to do that then our team already stationed in that time period".

"So essentially we report back our findings and you tell us what action needs to be taken?" Eric asked.

"And I suppose the covienient fact that this gets us out the Hexagon contract didn't come up in discussions", Jen raised an eyebrow at her former fiancée

"Yes but that's only part of it", he replied inpatiently, "we need data to fill in our records. We can't afford to wait fourteen years for everything to be revealed". He reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden Time Force badge with a pink edge, "That brings me nicely onto your ranks". He looked towards Katie, Trip and Lucas, "All three of you are now full Time Force Officers and will be lead by your new Captain". He walked towards Jen and handed her the badge, "Congratulations Captain Scotts". The pink ranger looked down at the badge and then at Alex. She gave him a stiff nod and salute before pocketing the badge. Alex's face fell, clearly he was expecting more of a reaction from Jen.

"My turn", Wes called out, a little creeped out by Alex's close proximity to Jen, "why did you save my father's life?"

Alex kept his eyes on Jen for a few moments longer than she would've liked. "If your father died then you would've been placed in charge of BioLab. With you in that position then you would not have been able to complete our assignment".

"And I thought you did it out the kindness of your heart", Wes spat. He was about to walk away when Lucas grabbed him by the arm. The blue ranger shook his head and Wes reluctantly fell back into line.

"I'm many things", Alex began, "however, I'm not an idiot. I know that I'm not the easiest person to get along with. I hope that everyone can push that aside so we can at least work together". There was a general murmuring of agreement from the others. Alex then turned back towards Jen, "Anything you want to ask Jennifer?"

"Not in front of everyone", the pink ranger said with a cool tone.

The commanding officer of Time Force nodded stiffly and turned his attention back to everyone else, "That's all the information I need to give you", he began, "once Ransik is secured we will make arrangement to collect him and the other captured mutants. If there's nothing else then you're all dismissed, except for Captain Scotts".

"We'll be over there Jen", Trip pointed towards the parked Vector Cycles.

Jen nodded in response and followed Alex in the direction of the Time Ship, "I've recorded my message, all I need now is my Captain's authorisation codes to apply the appropriate Time Lock".

"I'll instruct Circuit to create your codes once I've updated your rank", Alex paused and folded his arms, "I don't think that's all you want to say though".

"I'm not sure what you mean", Jen frowned.

"Come on Jennifer, how long have I known you for?" Alex looked over her shoulder and saw Wes glaring in his direction, "How long has it been going on, you and Wes?"

The pink ranger glanced towards the ground, "Honestly about an hour but I've been in love with him for a while". She looked back up at Alex, "I thought you were dead and I hated myself for loving someone that shared your face. Then I find out you were alive all this time and the only reason you give is that Time Force Command thought it was in the best interests of the mission". She bit her lip and looked just over Alex's shoulder, "Did you ever love me Alex?"

"I did and I still do", he replied, "but your time in the twenty first century has changed you. The Jennifer I knew a few months ago wouldn't act this way".

She shrugged in response, "I like the person I am now and Wes makes me happier than I've ever felt". She reached into her pocket and pulled out her engagement ring, "Even if I was able to return to the future, I don't think I could marry you Alex, not anymore". She pressed the ring into Alex's hand and walked away. A couple of tears threatened to fall from her eyes but she was able to wipe them away in time.

"Jen", he called out and the pink ranger paused, "I have to warn you, in the future you will meet someone by the name of Brandon. He will be a great asset in the future, so keep him close at all times". Inwardly Jen groaned, even now Alex was thinking about the job and not his emotions. She didn't turn around to acknowledge him and continued to walk away.

"Hey are you alright?" Wes asked and wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

"Yeah I'm fine", Jen replied, "as it's been a long couple of weeks, how about we abandon tonight's training and order pizza?"

"Yes Captain Sir", Trip smiled, "I mean Ma'am".

"What about you Cadet Myers", Wes smirked, "fancy an evening in with your Time Force colleagues".

Eric paused and turned to walk away but moments later he stopped, "Why not, after all I've suddenly come into some money".

"Me too", Katie smiled, "looks like we're going to have to bail them out doesn't it Eric", if anyone was looking closing at the Quantum Ranger, they would've seen the smallest smile on his face.

In the Time Ship, Alex looked on the monitor and watched the rangers climbed onto their bikes and rode away. Being a commanding officer wasn't easy and to cope with it, he had developed this cold image. Jen's word had stung but he could see that she was happy with Wes, in fact he knew they would be happy together.

After watching Jen's message, he immediately looked her personal record but he couldn't find one for her, or any of the other Time Force Rangers. Everything was timelocked up to the end of 2015 and the first entry was dated 1 January 2016. All it said was 'Brandon – Must Meet Time Force'. Alex had no idea what it meant but he passed it on anyway. Time Force were used to having all the answers about the past but this gap worried him, however, he trusted Jen and the others to handle it correctly. The Time Ship suddenly fired into life and Alex was heading back to his life in the year 3000, leaving his squad behind and facing the unknown.

 ** _A/N -_** _Who is Brandon and why is he important. You don't have long to wait because he arrives in the next (and final) chapter._


	11. A Glimpse Of The Future?

_Chapter 11 – What Is Real?_

 _January 5 2002 – Silver Hills, WA_

Eric Myers sat in the driver's seat of a Silver Guardians jeep waiting impatiently for his partner to emerge. He tapped the steering wheel a couple of times before sounding the horn loudly. About a minute later the passenger door opened and Wes stepped inside. He was wearing a standard issue Silver Guardians uniform teamed with a pair of dark glasses, "Alright I heard you the first time", Wes groaned, "and try not to make so much noise".

"Maybe if you hadn't gotten so drunk last night, you wouldn't have a hangover", Eric joked. "Cheer up, I managed to assign us to the Turtle Cove Highway, not exciting ever happens there".

The jeep pulled away from Guardian Headquarters and trundled down the road. The route they would be patrolling linked Silver Hills and the city of Turtle Cove. The nearby city was about an hour away and had recently signed up with the newly expanded Silver Guardians.

As the journey continued, Wes relaxed into his seat and began to reflect on the last few months. Barely a month after Alex broke the news that his friends from the future would be staying, the team finally managed to arrest Ransik. The leader of the mutant resistance surrendered to Jen after accidently injuring his daughter. Alex himself returned to the year 2001 and took Ransik, Nadria and the other prisoners back to the thirty first century. After a near death experience, Eric had finally accepted the friendship of the others.

With Ransik back behind bars, their attention turned towards what to do next. Mr Collins had offered them all roles in the Silver Guardians and they quickly accepted. The organisation was expanding to cover all of Washington state so extra help was needed. Wes was appointed co-leader of the Guardians with Eric but for the time being, the others were stuck on desk duty. Mr Collins had pulled some strings and set up their false identities but everyone thought the best course of action was to keep them out the limelight for a while, at least until they had a chance to full integrate with the twenty first century.

With all of the rangers now official Time Force officers, it enabled them to declare themselves part of the Silver Guardians. They claimed they had been part of the law enforcement agency since its introduction. Technically Mr Collins had filed a contract when he tried to employ them a few months ago so all it took was for them to retrospectively sign the contracts. Thanks to some financial persuasion from Mr Collins, it looked like they had signed the contracts before Hexagon, making the ranger organisations one null and void.

Once the organisation got wind of this, an immediate legal challenge had been made. Without any proof to the contrary, it was highly likely that the Silver Guardians would win the case. Hexagon had the backing of INET but how much the company would be willing to spend fighting the case was questionable. It was likely that Mr Collins and BioLab would pay a hefty amount of compensation to make the case disappear.

On a personal level Wes had moved back in with his father. As there was plenty of room he also offered his home to the other rangers as well. The Clock Tower and Eric's condo had been destroyed during the final stages of the war against Ransik and it would take some time to find somewhere else to live. The red and pink ranger's were still together and as pay back, they had started a pool with the other Guardians for which one of the ranger's would be the next to get together.

Last night was Jen's twenty second birthday and as promised, Wes had thrown her the party of a lifetime. Somehow the red ranger had gotten into a drinking contest with Lucas, one that he had lost badly, leading him to believe that the blue ranger had some kind of immunity to alcohol. Before stumbling to bed he noticed that Katie and Trip were getting very cosy in a dark corner of the Mansion, "I'm telling you Eric I saw them kissing", he said to his friend.

"You know the rules", the Quantum Ranger replied, "it has to be witnessed by at least two people before the money can be paid out".

"You're just trying to rig the vote because you know what the odds are on you winning", Wes snorted.

"Ouch, that hurt my feelings", Eric took a hand off the wheel and clutched his chest.

Wes lightly patted Eric's arm, "Oh Eric we've already established that you don't have any feelings". Wes chuckled at his own joke and even Eric cracked a small smile, "You never know maybe we'll find someone out here for you".

Eric snorted, "Yeah right, pulling someone over for speeding, great way to meet a woman". He paused and looked into the distance, frowning in the process.

"That was fast", Wes said but he stopped when he caught a glimpse of what Eric was looking at. A station wagon had crashed off the road and was bent around a tree. Smoke was pouring out the front of the vehicle, "Quickly pull over", he added.

The jeep pulled up behind the crashed car and the pair immediately hurried to the scene. It had rolled down an embankment before hitting a tree. The hood of the car was completely bent out of shape and the roof had collapsed around the windshield. Wes and Eric slid down the bank and looked inside the car. There was a man bleeding heavily from the head slumped over the wheel of the car. In the front passenger seat was a woman, however, the pair could immediately tell by the position of her head and neck that she hadn't survived. Looking into the back they saw a boy no older than eleven, "Jesus Christ what a mess", Eric sighed, "try and get the doors open".

Wes pulled hard but none of the door would open, "Guess the child locks have jammed on", he called out. Suddenly he saw some movement in the back, "Eric, I think the kid's alive".

"Right, stand back", Eric called out and summoned his Quantum Defender.

"Woah what the hell are you doing?" Wes exclaimed.

"This is the quickest way, do you trust me?" Almost immediately Wes nodded and stepped back. Eric placed his weapon into Sword Mode and sliced through the roof of the vehicle. The pair grabbed one side of the roof each and moved it off the top of the car, giving them easy access to the family. The Quantum Ranger reached inside and checked the pulse of the man. He sighed and looked grimly over at Wes before shaking his head.

"Poor kid", Wes sighed, "I'll call Jen and get her to run the plates. Can you call dispatch and get an ambulance here". Eric nodded and grabbed his phone out of his pocket. The red ranger did the same and took a deep breath, he remembered that Jen's parents had died in exactly the same way. This wasn't going to be an easy call.

 _Silver Guardians HQ_

Sitting behind a desk wasn't the way that Jen planned on spending her time in the twenty first century. She was a highly trained Time Force Officer and an extremely capable detective but until her fake identification worked its way into the system, she was stuck behind a computer. The others would normally be in the office with her but she had given them the day off, calling it her birthday gift to them. Despite the work boredom, she couldn't be happier in the year 2002. Things with Wes were great and hopefully they would have enough to get a place of their own soon. She did occasionally wonder what life would be like if she had to return to the year 3000 but those thoughts were gradually fading away. Her daydreaming was halted when the phone rang and she grabbed it almost immediately, "Silver Guardians office".

"Hey Jen", Wes began and almost immediately the pink ranger knew something was wrong, "I need you to run some plates and get some background info".

"No problem Wes", she paused for a moment, "is everything alright?"

There was silence on the line before Wes spoke, "We came across a crashed car with three occupants. The two adults are dead but there's a young kid who appeared to be alright". Jen froze as memories of her parent's accident began to come flooding back, "This can wait if it's going to bring back bad memories, I'm sure Circuit can help".

"No it's fine", Jen said with a shaky voice, "what's the reg number?" It took her a few minutes to find what she wanted, she was still getting used to the primitive computers of 2002, "The car's registered to a David Quinn from Seattle", she stated, "according to his medical record he's married, I'm sending the pictures to your morpher".

She hung on the line as Wes compared the file pictures with the two occupants of the car, "Yeah it's them", he said sadly, "any next of kin to complete a formal identification?"

"Doesn't look like it", she replied, "both of their parents are deceased and there's no record of any siblings".

"This just gets better for the kid", Wes sighed, "this is their child right?"

"Hang on, I'm still trying to work this database", Jen said and tried to find the correct field, "here we go we've got a record of one child, an eleven year old boy by the name of...", Jen's voice trailed off as she saw the child's name, "Brandon".

"Thanks Jen", Wes paused and the sound of sirens could be heard in the background, "the ambulance is here but we'll talk later, love you Jen".

"Yeah love you too", Jen absently replied and continued to stare at the name. She remembered that Alex had mentioned the name Brandon and how it would be important in the future. Something in her gut was telling her that this boy was the one he was talking about. Not wasting another second, she grabbed her jacket and ran out of the office.

 _Silver Hills General_

After arriving at hospital, Brandon was diagnosed with a broken leg and a severe concussion. The doctor said he was extremely lucky but the two Silver Guardians disagreed. The kid was now an orphan and once he was healthy enough, he would probably disappear into the care system. The doctor had broken the news about his parents and the youngster was understandably devastated. He was given some painkillers and soon he was sound asleep.

Wes and Eric hung around outside his room, they had given a statement to the state Police a few minutes ago and were about to leave when Mr Collins appeared, "Wes, Eric what are you doing here?"

"Brought in an RTA victim", Wes replied and pointed at Brandon's room, "Both his parents were killed but he survived".

"Such a waste", Mr Collins sighed, "I've got a meeting with the hospital administration, I'll cover his medical treatment".

"Thanks Dad", Wes nodded, "won't bring his parents back though". He glanced behind his father and was surprised to see Jen stepped out the elevator, "Hey Jen this is a surprise", he greeted his girlfriend.

"Yeah I just had to see Brandon", she replied and glanced into the room, "I'm glad you're here Mr Collins, that'll save me having to go through this twice".

"Are you going to make sense any time soon?" Eric asked impatiently.

Ignoring Eric's comment Jen asked, "Is there a quiet spot where we can talk?" The men looked confused but it didn't take them too long to find an empty room. Once inside Jen told them about the message Alex gave her before leaving in the Time Ship.

Eric looked extremely sceptical, "Do you know how many Brandon's there are in the world, let along the States? What makes you so sure this is the one your ex was talking about?"

"I'm not sure", she sighed, "I've just got this feeling", she paused briefly, "maybe it's because both our parents died in similar circumstances that I feel some kind of affinity towards him".

"That's all well and good", Wes began, "but there's not much we can do, he's still a minor and without any family he'll go straight into foster care".

Jen bit her lip and thought about this for a few moments until an idea hit her, "What if we adopt him?"

"Us?" Wes exclaimed.

"You work quick Wes, dating a few months and you already have a kid", Eric joked.

"I hardly think this is the best time for jokes Eric", Mr Collins chastised the Quantum Ranger, "but he is right, no one would let you two adopt a child. You've not been in a relationship long enough and the minute they dig into Jen's background, they'll know something's up". He paused for a moment before looking towards the pink ranger, "Do you really believe that this child is the one Alex referred to?"

Jen nodded, "I do".

"Then there's only one thing for it", Mr Collins began, "I'll look into adopting Brandon myself".

"You'd really do that Dad?" Wes asked.

"It's not like I'm inexperienced in the area", his father replied, "I've got a good track record of being a single father and I have a stable income. I'll make some calls and see what I do but I can't promise anything".

Mr Collins left for his meeting soon after that, leaving Wes, Eric and Jen alone to check in on Brandon one more time. Jen wished that Alex could've been more specific about what role this mysterious Brandon would play in the future but she was sure that this child was the one her former fiancée had told her about. Wes and Eric trusted the pink ranger's judgement but only time would tell if she was right. The future for the Time Force Rangers suddenly looked a lot different than it did just a few hours ago.

 **THE END**

 _ **A/N –**_ _And scene. So now we've met Brandon (kind of), we'll see him again in the future, just in what capacity? Our time with the Time Force crew is up for now but they will make a cameo appearance in the next story of the series. We're moving on to Wild Force, specifically my own version of Forever Red. The story will be called Train Of Consequences and it probably won't be out for at least a month so keep an eye out or set up an author alert to ensure that you don't miss out._


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